Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has denied accusations that he was 'anti-Frank Lampard' while the former Blues boss was in the dugout at Stamford Bridge.
There were rumours that the German international and Lampard had a falling out in the summer after Rudiger lost his place in the starting XI, prompting speculation of a move away from Stamford Bridge to Paris Saint-Germain.
Of the 84 matches that Lampard oversaw as Chelsea manager, Rudiger appeared in just 35. But the centre-back claims that there was never any bad blood between the two.
Speaking to SportBILD (via sportwitness.co.uk), Rudiger said: “If I was so anti-Lampard, why would I have been on the pitch under him in his last games? It doesn’t make sense.
"Frank Lampard is very well respected in the club and by the fans. The perception that I was against the coach has more to do with the time around the start of the season when I wasn’t in the squad.”
Rudiger was absent from Lampard's squad at the start of the campaign, only making his first Premier League appearance of the season in late November. His omission led to murmurs that then-PSG boss Thomas Tuchel was interested in taking him to the French capital.