Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has defended the club's decision to allow legendary midfielder Frank Lampard to leave.
The team's all-time leading goalscorer left last summer in order to join MLS outfit New York City, with the player also recently turning out on loan for Premier League giants Manchester City.
Since joining Manuel Pellegrini's men, the 36-year-old has played a major part in City's push to keep in touch with his former team, who lead the way in the Premier League table.
"It's his life, nothing to do with us. He left Chelsea as a free agent and chooses his life, we can't complain about it. That's football," said Mourinho, according to Sky Sports News.
"My view is that, when you want to look forward, look to the future, and have people like [Cesc] Fabregas and [Nemanja] Matic and Jeremie Boga, which are the next 10 years of the club.
"The project is to prepare for the next 10 years, not for the next year. We made the right decision."
Lampard has made 106 appearances for England at an international level, scoring 26 goals for his country.
Christopher Dodd
