The 19-year-old put in a match-winning display against Nottingham Forest but his manager says there is more to come
Callum Hudson-Odoi took a significant step forward in Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest , but Frank Lampard has no doubt there is more to come.
Chelsea beat Championship side Forest 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Hudson-Odoi opening the scoring before Ross Barkley also found the back of the net.
Lampard suggested in his pre-match news conference that the Blues may have been expecting too much of the 19-year-old winger, who returned from five months out with a ruptured Achilles in September.
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Hudson-Odoi has struggled for form since then , but Lampard was impressed by his display against Forest.
“It was a good performance. I was pleased to see him high up the pitch, pleased to see him being aggressive in how he gets at people, which is what he is there for. He gets his goal with a great strike,” said Lampard.
“It has been an interesting 12 months for him considering how young he is, when you take that into account. Last year everyone was talking about him for different reasons. He gets a terrible injury, he comes back very early and when he did come back there were issues getting him tip top.
“This was a nice step forward for him. Next time it will be, ‘Can you do more?’
“When you are a player of speed and sharpness, when you have an injury like that it can be slightly held back. There is a lot of strength work he needs to do – stuff on the pitch and in the gym now we’re getting him towards the point where he has that acceleration.
“As a player he is 19 and he has had that injury so there is a lot more to come from him.”
Danny Drinkwater has returned from an unsuccessful loan to Burnley and Lampard said it was “a possibility” he could head straight back out in another temporary switch.
The future of Olivier Giroud , an unused substitute against Forest with Michy Batshuayi deputising for the rested Tammy Abraham, also remains up in the air.
Aston Villa , Newcastle United and Lyon have been linked with Giroud and Lampard did not rule out the France international leaving the club.
“There’s no update on Oli and my answer remains the same as it has done recently,” added the Chelsea head coach.
“I have spoken with him. If the conditions are that it is something Oli really wants to do and it works for the club and for me and the squad, then it’s something that could happen.
“But it’s only when all three bases are covered. So, we’re still there
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