Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has remained silent on rumours linking winger Callum Hudson-Odoi with a move away from the club.
Despite both Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic being injured in Monday's win over Brighton, Hudson-Odoi made just a 10-minute cameo at the Amex Stadium and he has subsequently been linked with a move to Bayern Munich once again.
Indeed, since the return of football after the coronavirus break, Hudson-Odoi has started only one game and has accumulated a total of just 203 minutes.
Lampard couldn't confirm or deny the rumours linking the 19-year-old winger with a move away but insists that his team selections are driven by training performance and that he doesn't have favourites in the squad.
“I’ve got no idea; I’ve not got anything. I don’t know if there is any truth on it, so not much to say I suppose,” Lampard said during a press conference.
"I’d be surprised if any player is not disappointed when they don’t play games. I’d be very surprised by that. With Callum, the young player he is, he has to absolutely focus on the work he puts in on the training ground day in, day out.
"I’ve said it now quite a few times. When I select a team, I have to think about how players trained, how they play within the team, how we work on the ball and, just as much, how we work off the ball. I have no favourites here; I don’t lean on people because I like them.
"I lean on people because I want people to be successful, which, in turn, will hopefully make everybody here happy. Callum is a young developing player and a lot of talk has come his way because of the way his career has gone at a young age.
"The facts remain the same for all young players in the squad, they have to work every day with the idea to put themselves in the frame to start.”
Chelsea are hoping to offload several players before the transfer window but Hudson-Odoi isn't understood to be one of them as the teenager still has four more years on his current contract.
This season, more than ever, will see clubs manage a relentless schedule as the coronavirus pandemic caused a late start to the Premier League season.
Cesar Azpilicueta was left out for Chelsea's first match of the season, along with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud, Antonio Rudiger and Ross Barkley, but Lampard was keen to state that his captain is still the leader in the dressing room.
"Yes, absolutely Azpi is club captain this season," he added. "He’s done a great job of it. Since I’ve been in the role, he’s been a huge help to me, how’s he’s handled himself on and off the pitch, how much he feels for the club, how much he communicates within the squad.
"We can all see the quality of Reece James and the competition I have in that right-back position, but Azpi’s professionalism means he’s going to be as important for us this year as he always is. He is officially club captain."
Lampard also gave an insight into how carefully Chelsea looked at new signing Timo Werner, saying the forward is "very low maintenance" despite his star status.
The 24-year-old impressed on his debut and was subsequently unveiled to the media where he appeared relaxed but confident about his ability to adapt to the Premier League from RB Leipzig.
Chelsea face Liverpool next where Werner is largely expected to start after overcoming a dead leg sustained against Brighton. Lampard asked Ethan Ampadu, who was on loan at Leipzig last year before moving to Sheffield United this term, in a wide-ranging effort to profile Werner before signing him.
“We have a recruitment department who would always look as deeply as they can into those backgrounds on players, but, yeah, I’m hands-on as well and it’s something I like to see to get a feel for them," Lampard said.
"I like to check the players’ social media sides now and again and when you are signing a player, of course, it can give you a small degree of detail on the player. Of course, it’s a huge help.
“I asked some people about him, we had a player, Ethan Ampadu, who was on loan at Leipzig last year so there was an obvious connection. There are ways you can see very easily into the lives of the players in the modern-day — social media and those things.
"For me, the biggest factor is you can always hear second or third-hand about how hungry they are but it’s not until you speak to them and get that interaction going that you start to have that feel for the person and their hunger and drive, and their humility.
"So when I spoke to Timo, I felt that from him instantly and, from the training ground as well, he is a low-maintenance player which I just love. They just want to train and want to work and give everything and be a huge plus to the team.
"Timo has shown that already and I’m sure that will be a big part of the successful career I truly believe he will have here as a Chelsea player. He is robust, so I’ve no doubt he can handle the Premier League and the size of the opposition.
"And he’s very low maintenance. He comes in, he trains, he works hard, he lives right and he wants to come here and be a success. And he said that in his post-match statements. All the players coming from foreign leagues have to be given some time to adjust to the league.
"I’m confident they will adjust quickly. We’ll work towards that. I’d like to see Timo up against what is a fantastic defence, Liverpool at the weekend. I’ve no worries of how he will approach it, in terms of the size or speed or strength or Liverpool. I’m sure Timo will back himself and give everything."
