LAMPARD WANTS TO PLAY

The England midfielder Frank Lampard has stated that he feels that he will be able to play in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The 34-year-old is coming to the end of his career, which has seen him represent the England national team in several major tournaments over the years. However, he is out of contract with his club team Chelsea. There has been interest from several clubs across Europe for his services, while it is rumoured that the MLS club LA Galaxy currently lead the chase for his signature. After the recent 2-1 win over Brazil in a friendly match, the England manager Roy Hodgson suggested that Lampard needs to play somewhere close to England in order to be regularly picked for the national team.

The midfielder will be 36 years of age by the time the World Cup kicks off in 2014. He is extremely close to reaching a landmark of 100 appearances for the national team. Lampard has acknowledged the fact that people tend to look things differently at older players. However, he feels that he will have a future with the England national team if he stays with Chelsea. After categorically stating that he will not be awarded a new contract, Chelsea are apparently interested in the possibility of keeping him beyond this season.

“Maybe the World Cup is within reach but I’m certainly not getting carried away. I know how football is and from squad to squad it can change, and when you get to the age of 34, 35 this summer, people do look upon things differently and fair enough. I’m very understanding of where I’m at in my career. It’s certainly a target for me and, yes, I will try to keep playing at a good enough level to get there,” said Lampard.