Chelsea boss Frank Lampard jumped to the defence of Ruben Loftus-Cheek today.

The midfielder was on the receiving end of some outside criticism after his showing at Brighton, and Lampard used the opportunity to reiterate just what the 24-year-old has gone through in the past 18 months.

He said, "I know Ruben's story probably second best to how he knows it. Ruben had a terrible injury, one he worked very hard to come back from over the course of last season. He was just about fit to play Under-23 games when lockdown came in, worked incredibly hard in restart, got a start against Aston Villa, was due to start against Bayern Munich but had a bit of an issue on the day of the game, and trained brilliantly to get fit again for the start of the season.

"If there is harsh criticism of him in a game against Brighton then it is certainly very harsh, because carrying an injury like he has has been difficult for him, and he's put a lot of hours in. He's a hugely talented player, a great lad, and there will be lots more to come from Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Unfortunately, the nature of this game is very reactionary and people will say it how they see it, but knowing Ruben's story he has fought back really hard to get where he is, and he's a very talented player."