Chelsea hero Frank Lampard admits he was worried about bumping into Paul Pogba after criticising Man Utd star as pundit
FRANK LAMPARD admits he was worried about bumping into Paul Pogba after criticising the Manchester United star when he was starting out as a TV pundit.
Lampard worked as an expert for BT Sport after hanging up his boots before he moved into management with Derby and Chelsea.
And he says it was difficult to make the leap from being a player to summariser when it came to calling out other stars.
In particular he remembers how an honest assessment about Pogba gave him the jitters.
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, Lampard said: “It was challenging because I think you have an in-between period where you still feel like a bit of a player and you’ve still got some mates in the game.
“I’d like to think that I’m a decent person. I remember saying some things about Pogba in the first year in a couple of games, saying some things as a midfield player.
“When I came out of it and actually met him, I walked into it, you know, like you’re kind of ‘oh I don’t want to bump into him’. I felt terrible.
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“I don’t know whether you get over that or not. But I think you have to be honest. You can’t sit on the fence and you have to say it straight.”
Lampard left telly to enter the world of coaching when he was appointed Rams manager in May 2018 before taking charge of his beloved Blues a year later.
Things turned sour during his second season at Stamford Bridge and he was given his marching orders in January this year.
And speaking to Neville, Lampard revealed the cheeky quip ex-boss Jose Mourinho aimed in his direction when the pair bumped into each other after his sacking.
Lampard said: “He came over to me and gave me a big hug and said, ‘Now you’re a real manager.’
“I was like (thumbs up) cheers. But I loved it and that’s the world we live in.”
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