Frank Lampard 'the perfect choice' for Chelsea manager - Rio Ferdinand | OneFootball

Rio Ferdinand believes Derby boss Frank Lampard would be the ‘perfect choice’ to replace Maurizio Sarri should the Italian depart Chelsea this summer.

Sarri has been heavily linked to take over the open position at Juventus after Max Allegri departed at the end of the season.

Lampard, who spent 13 years at Stamford Bridge, led Derby on a brilliant run in his first season as a manager and took them to the Championship play-off final.

The Chelsea legend has been linked with a return to the club and now his former West Ham team-mate Rio Ferdinand believes he’s exactly the guy to get the job done.

“I think he has done a good job,” Ferdinand said.

“He has lowered the playing age at Derby – his remit before the season would have been around that.

“He hit all the nails on the head in that regard. But more than that the way Frank has conducted himself has been exemplary, especially in the situation with the Leeds manager (Marcelo Bielsa, during the ‘Spygate’ scandal), he handled that very well.

“He is the perfect choice. People talk about experience and what-not but what experience did Pep (Guardiola) have when he went into Barcelona’s first team? He trained the younger kids at the club.

“Frank knows the club and he knows the players and the players will respect him. You can see he can carry himself in a particular way in front of the media and in the football club and he can change things within a season.

“We have seen that at Derby. I know it’s a smaller club but we have seen him do it. I don’t think he would go in there and be phased by big personalities in that changing room.”

In addition to nearly earning promotion to the Premier League, Lampard and Derby knocked off Manchester United in the EFL Cup third round and also reached the FA Cup round-of-16.