Frank Lampard has not taken the field for New York City FC since their final match of 2015, and it looks it might be a good while before he does.
Empire of Soccer reported on Wednesday that Lampard did not take part in NYCFC's midweek training session and “has been given time off” as his recovery from a calf injury drags on. The club's Designated Player has been dealing with the problem from the earliest stages of preseason and also missed significant game time to a similar ailment last year.
The EoS report said Lampard was not seen on the NYC training field late last week, either, though he has worked individually as part of his rehab. Head coach Patrick Vieira told EoS that Lampard is still taking part in other team activities.
“We are a tight team, a really strong team,” said Vieira. “We believe that the only way we can achieve our goal is to stick together. During the season, we’re going to face tough spells and our togetherness will get us through it. Frank is a part of it and I can’t wait for him to get back on the pitch.”
In more positive news, NYCFC's top SuperDraft pick Jack Harrison joined his teammates for full activities for the first time this season. He had recently been recovering from a troublesome pelvic injury, and Vieira said he hopes to have the rookie available for gameday selection soon.
