The Chelsea midfielder started England's friendly against Italy in March and was a substitute against Paraguay the following month, yet still missed out on the World Cup.
While the likes of Danny Murphy, Joe Cole and Trevor Sinclair were preferred to him on that occasion, he is now back in the England squad for the qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia.
Eriksson is, meanwhile, looking for Lampard to make the most of his chances even though it is unlikely he will actually start in Slovakia on Saturday.
The England coach told the Football Association's official website, www.thefa.com: "Losing Rio is obviously a blow and we all wish him a speedy recovery.
"However, we do have other very good defenders who are in form and it will be a chance for them to show what they can do.
"Both Ugo and Frank have made very good starts to the season. They are playing well and deserve to be included.
"These are big games as it's important to get a good start in qualification. Neither game will be easy so it's good to have most players fit."
Lampard revealed earlier this season how painful it was to watch the World Cup on television as he came to terms with having missed out on the squad.
"I did feel low but it's part of life. I've had those ups and downs before but it's about being a strong character. I want to show people what I could have done and what I can do in the future," he said recently.
"I would like to think that the way I've reacted to it is positive and that I won't sulk about it. I can understand what Rio Ferdinand and Kieron Dyer said after missing out on Euro 2000.
"Maybe it was a good thing for them and they've come back stronger for it. That's the only way I know how to react to those things."