Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has asked the fans to be patient with Kai Havertz’s slow start at Stamford Bridge. The German international was subbed off in the 68th minute of their match against Everton on Saturday, which they lost by a 0-1 scoreline.

Havertz didn’t produce anything impressive during his stint on the field and that led Lampard to call him off for sending Tammy Abraham in his place.

The 21-year-old was one of Chelsea’s big-budget buys in the summer transfer window as he came from Bayer Leverkusen on a £70 million deal, plus add ons. So the pressure of that price-tag has been there on Havertz. Moreover, he hasn’t looked at his best ever since recovering from COVID-19.

Lampard, though, still has firm faith in Havertz’s abilities and he thinks that the youngster needs more time to adapt to the conditions.

“In the modern day there will be a criticism of every player at every club who loses a game or something didn’t go right, a pass went astray,” Lampard told reporters.

“We certainly should be patient with Kai Havertz from a Chelsea end. He’s a top quality talent, has come into this league and is playing on the right-wing. He can play in any position across the front and the right-wing countless times before he signed for Chelsea. He can play in midfield also.

“That’s not an issue. He can do that. But we do have to be patient. Not just him, but any young player with the speed of the Premier League. I’ve got no problems with Kai.

“I said that last week and if people want to criticise him, jump straight down – just wait and give a young player time, whether it be a week, a month, six months or a year. I know the player he’s going to be.”

Chelsea’s defeat to Everton brought an end to their 17-game unbeaten run across all competitions this season. It also saw them slipping down to the fifth position in the Premier League table from third.

The Blues face Wolverhampton Wanderers next on Tuesday at the Molineux Stadium and they will follow that with their home match against West Ham next.