Former Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez has revealed he knew, while at Stamford Bridge, that Frank Lampard would go on to be a successful manager.

The Spaniard took the reigns at Chelsea during the 2012-13 season where he was appointed as an interim boss and had the opportunity to work with the now-Blues boss.

Speaking to the Athletic , Benitez praised the former midfielder for his conduct and said that Lampard’s ability to read the game was a huge plus when making the step up as a manager.

He said: “Football is sometimes about getting an opportunity at the right time in the right place and in his case, he did well at Derby County and got some experience.

“He has been given a big job and now it’s up to him to take his chance. Former players and famous players will always get a little more time but, in the end, it’s the same for everybody; they have to perform to keep their jobs.

“When I was at Chelsea, I remember being asked at almost every press conference about an extension to Frank’s contract because he was in his last year.

“I would just say, “Listen, I’m only here for a few months, so it’s not up to me to decide about that”. All I could really add was that if he continued to score goals and play well, then I would obviously be happy with that and, to be fair to Frank, he did both.

“I didn’t work with Frank for too long (it’s the same for John Terry, who is now assistant manager at Aston Villa), but it was not so difficult to guess he might go into coaching or management. You could see his interest in football but he also had the influence of his family all around him.

“He was surrounded by coaches; his father was assistant manager at West Ham for a long time and then worked with Brendan Rodgers, and Harry Redknapp is his uncle. Those relationships rub off.

“The position he played may have had a role, too. What was Frank’s speciality as a player? The timing of his runs into the box to score goals. Sometimes, you just have a job to do and that’s it but when you play in the middle and have to get into the box and decide when to go and whether it’s to the near post, the edge of the box or the second post, it entails a lot of thinking.

“Being able to see and read the game – being able to think quickly – are important qualities for a manager.”