Manchester City have extended Frank Lampard’s loan deal from New York City until the end of current Premier League Season. The announcement hardly comes as a surprise as the former England mid-field player had been flirting with the idea of extending his loan deal beyond the initial terms.
Lampard’s loan deal was supposed to end on 31st December, but his performances for Manchester City have been hard to ignore. The 6 goals in 17 appearances in City’s colors are testimony to his form and fitness.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to extend Lampard’s deal must have been influenced by the fact that Yaya Toure will not be available for almost a month due to African Cup of Nations. Given how Lampard has settled in City’ mid-field, he could be the new leader for city in Yaya’s absence.
The Etihad outfit have adopted the “False number 9” strategy in recent games and there isn’t a better player in Premier League who can make darting runs in the box and score goals from mid-field. Ask Jose Mourinho, he must know that better than anyone else, especially after how Lampard scored against his former side to snatch a draw for Manchester City against Chelsea earlier this season.
This deal might sound a great one for Manchester City fans, however one has to feel for New York City in all of this. Amid the speculations itself, New York City faced a significant lull in the ticket sales and now after this official statement release, one can only imagine the impact on New York City’s season, which has not even started yet.
On wake of Lampard staying at City, New York City FC director of football Claudio Reyna said: “Frank is a star and it is no surprise Manchester City is rewarded by his contributions on the field every single day.
“He is eager to get to New York once his commitment ends in England and will be available to play on arrival as a permanent member of the squad, given he will come to us having played at the highest level.”
Quotes Credits: bbc.com
Image credits: espnfc.co.uk, sportskeeda.com