Frank Lampard revealed he has received some ‘flattering’ offers to return to management – but ‘they were not quite right’ for the Blues legend.

But 18 months later and he was forced to clear out his locker as Chelsea’s form suffered, leading to his firing.

Lampard, who was replaced by German Thomas Tuchel, has now spoken out for the first time since being sacked by Blues owner Roman Abramovich.

Speaking at a Q&A hosted by the London Football Awards in aid of the Willow Foundation, he said: “Football has consumed my life firstly as a player and then as a manager.

“Nobody wants to lose their job. But when you go into this career, it can happen, no matter how good you think you are.

“It’s given me a lot more time to be at home. It’s been great to be around the family. I’ve had some opportunities that have come up in the last six weeks, two months, that have been flattering, but not the right thing. They were not quite right.”