Frank Lampard insisted it was an “easy decision” to make his surprise return to Chelsea as caretaker manager until the end of the season on Thursday, just over two years after he was sacked by the Premier League club. 

Lampard,44, Chelsea’s record goalscorer, previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. His unexpected move back to Stamford Bridge came after Tuchel’s successor Graham Potter was dismissed on Sunday with the club in the bottom half of the Premier League.