Jose Mourinho has admitted that it will be impossible to replace Frank Lampard at Chelsea this season.
The Blues legend departed the club this summer following a 13-year stay at Stamford Bridge, joining MLS franchise New York City FC.
Cesc Fabregas joined Chelsea from Barcelona in June, but Mourinho insists that the move is not like-for-like for the recently-departed Lampard.
"Frank is Frank, he is irreplaceable. No chance," Mourinho told BT Sport. "Fabregas is the player we need to modify a little bit the profile of our game. We want to give the next dimension to our game in midfield.
"But I think we can never say - in spite of Cesc, who is a fantastic player as you know - that, 'This guy is coming to replace Frank', because Frank is Frank. One day he will be alongside Peter Osgood in terms of a statue being built for him, because he's fantastic."
Chelsea kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to face Burnley at Turf Moor.
Daniel Lewis
