Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is counting on Thiago Silva being their Virgil van Dijk.

Silva, snapped up on a free from PSG in the summer, led the French club to joint-record seven Ligue 1 titles.

So far this season he has helped Chelsea to six clean sheets in their last seven to mark them down as Premier League title contenders.

Lampard said: “I think with the career he's had, he certainly is in the bracket of top centre backs like [Vincent Kompany and Van Dijk].

“Most recent modern day teams that have achieved have individuals or pairings defensively, that set those kinds of standards.

“I think it's imperative we know the importance of defending well to try and win trophies, particularly the Premier League title.

“They do also need support around them, behind them, around them in front of them.

"But when you look at the performances of Thiago in his early few games with the impact I keep talking about him having he can be a big deal for us.

“We still need a lot more though. I don't want to crown him as that now."