Chelsea's Thiago ready for Burnley trip says Lampard

Brazilian Silva joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Paris St Germain in the close season, and Lampard wants to carefully manage the amount of time the 36-year-old plays each week.

“Thiago is fit. Taking him out of Russia was a maintenance issue,” Lampard told reporters on Thursday.

“He could have played if he had to but we had to put it in context of what is ahead of us.

“I’m making sure we get the best out of him towards the end of the season.”

“We need options. We’re also searching for relationships as newer players are learning about each other and how we play. There will be rotation at times. We need everybody.”