Mourinho: Lampard was best Premier League player for a decade

Jose Mourinho has suggested that former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard was the best player in the Premier League for a decade.

The former Chelsea and Inter boss, who has been strongly linked with the Manchester United job should Louis van Gaal leave Old Trafford, spoke about some of the players he has managed throughout his career, praising Lampard as the best in England for around ten years.

"At Chelsea, in my first period, I had Frank Lampard, probably the best player in the Premier League for one decade," Mourinho said to the Straits Times.

Lampard netted 177 goals in 609 appearances in the Premier League, winning three league titles, before moving to New York City FC in 2015.

But despite the former England midfielder's impressive record, Mourinho refused to name his best player from throughout his time in management, praising Javier Zanetti, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo without singling out a favourite.

"Who was my best player? It's so difficult to say and I coached some of the best players in the world," the 53-year-old continued.

"'I went to Inter, I had Ibrahimovic, I got Zanetti. I go to [Real] Madrid, I had Ronaldo. I come back to Chelsea and I find other top players.

"I have so many, they gave me so much, it's not fair to say this is the one. It's impossible to win so many things without the players so I respect all of them."