Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is keen to help Frank Lampard extend his career by copying Andrea Pirlo's role as a deep-lying playmaker.
Lampard's England place has been called into question after he was left out of the side for the World Cup qualifier against Poland after his display against Montenegro.
But Mourinho told The Guardian: "Of course Frank can become that. He has to adapt and learn every day how to play with this new body. A player can still learn new skills at his age.
"I'm 50 and have been a manager since 2000 and I'm learning every day. You can always learn new skills, especially if the player has an open mind like he does. He's a player who can keep the side's balance, who thinks about the game and can work with kids around him.
"For him, it was very good I'm back because the trust is so big. He knows that every decision I make on him is for my team - because that's most important - but also for him. So if, one day, I bring him off at 70 minutes or leave him on the bench or give him a rest and don't select him, it's for his own good.
"He knows, without me speaking to him every day - which I don't do with my players - that I'm doing it for him. The trust and friendship is so big that he is happy. At this moment of his career, it was very important for him to have somebody like me around."
