Lampard links up with City ahead of season kick-off

Frank Lampard has joined up with his new teammates at Manchester City ahead of the club’s opening game of the new Premier League season. The 36-year old ended his 13-year stay with Chelsea at the end of last season, signing a deal with new MLS franchise New York City before making an immediate return to the Premier League with Manchester City on a loan deal until January.

FRANK LAMPARD: Midfielder joins #mcfc on loan. Quotes and full story: http://t.co/SLn78eDo0N pic.twitter.com/27jpE8du35

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) August 6, 2014

With New York not beginning their MLS season until the beginning of 2015, the franchise’s link-up with the defending Premier League champions has opened the door for the club to sign the midfielder on a loan deal.

While the move hasn’t gone down well with a lot of Chelsea fans, City supporters will be delighted to see Lampard arrive at the Etihad. While Lampard may not have been one of Manuel Pellegrini’s main targets this summer, the City manager has made it clear he is more than happy to have the England man in his squad for the first half of the season.

Whether or not the signing makes City a more tempting option to win this year title, but there won’t have been many Premier League clubs who wouldn’t have snapped up Lampard if they could. Despite being 36, the midfielder has continued his record of scoring 10 or more goals a season, and City will be hoping to see the same Lampard who has on more than one occasion been a thorn in their side.

In the face of the inevitable criticism he has received since agreeing the deal, Lampard has insisted he is excited about the prospect of this new chapter in his career.

“Joining up with Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue to train and play at the top level and make sure I am in top condition for New York City. This is a new chapter of my career and I’m really excited about the experience,” said Lampard after linking up with his new teammates at Carrington.

With the Premier League season now just days from starting, with fixtures including Liverpool v Southampton and Burnley v Chelsea, it’s bound to be a good one.