Frank Lampard is set to include Chelsea academy starlet Lewis Bate in his matchday squad for Saturday’s trip to face Sheffield United after being dealt a double injury blow in midfield.

The 17-year-old has been a regular fixture in both the Under-18 and Under-23 sides this season and is, according to the Metro, widely regarded as the most promising player in his age group at the club.

Bate is a left-footed midfielder with an an eye for a defence-splitting forward pass.

He has been training with the first-team squad since lockdown restrictions started to ease, with Lampard clearly earmarking him as a player for the future – though the Chelsea boss will not have expected to call on him so soon.

The Blues will be without both N’Golo Kante and Billy Gilmour for the clash at Bramall Lane, with the latter ruled out for as long as four months after requiring an operation on his knee.

Kante, meanwhile, remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, Mateo Kovacic has only just recovered from an achilles injury and Jorginho is yet to start a match since the season restarted.

That has seen Lampard once again turn to Chelsea’s thriving academy for reinforcements, with Goal.com reporting that young midfielder Bate will travel to Sheffield with the rest of the squad.

Photo Credit: Chelseafc