Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has suggested that he could use Christian Pulisic through the middle as a central striker.

Tammy Abraham missed Saturday's Premier League clash with West Ham United due to a bruised hip, and the Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge with Olivier Giroud struggling to contribute in the final third.

There have been suggestions that Abraham could be fit for Wednesday's clash with Aston Villa, while Michy Batshuayi is also an option through the middle for the London club.

Lampard, though, has claimed that Pulisic is capable of contributing in that area of the field, with the United States international showing his goalscoring capabilities in recent weeks.

"We'll see [whether Pulisic could play through the middle]. He's got an ability to run behind the line and to be sharp in central areas, which will naturally get him more goals but I'm not going to say right now that's the solution. We'll see going forward," Lampard told reporters.

Pulisic has scored six times in his last eight appearances for Chelsea, having overcome a difficult start to the season to become a key figure in the team's first XI.