Frank Lampard insists he has earned his shot at the Chelsea job after Raheem Sterling highlighted the difference in opportunities given to the Blues manager and Steven Gerrard compared to some black coaches.
Lampard was keen to stress his admiration for Sterling speaking out on racism in football and society as he responded to the Manchester City winger's comments, and also added his voice to the calls for equal opportunities in coaching and management.
Sterling spoke to Newsnight this month about the lack of black people in 'positions I feel they should be in' and used the differing coaching experiences of four former England internationals — Lampard, Rangers boss Gerrard, Southend manager Sol Campbell and Chelsea youth coach Ashley Cole — to underline his point.