Frank Lampard is willing to give Chelsea's youth a chance this season but has urged them to prove to him why they should be in the first team.
The Blues have been one of the best academies in England for years, however there has been a real frustration from supporters that not enough from the acedemy are given a shot.
Maurizio Sarri used Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christensen and Callum Hudson-Odoi off and on throughout his one-season tenure, but not enough for some Blues fans.
With a transfer ban over the Blues this summer, Lampard may be forced to use more younger players to fill his squad and he is keen for them to take their opportunities.
"In terms of where it [transfer ban] leaves us with people like Mason Mount, I am delighted that he has signed a new contract," Lampard said in Japan.
"I think everybody knows that I have a keen eye for the younger players in the academy, that they have produced and we have a batch of them that are fighting to get into the first team.
"To be absolutely clear, they now have to make the difference. It's a road that is given to them and now they have to be the ones that play well enough to get into the team.
"I don't care about age, I care about performance and how people train and play. Now with the squad it is up to those players to show what they can do."
Chelsea are in Japan for two matches this week as they take on Kawasaki Frontale on Friday and then Barcelona next Tuesday evening.
The Blues then take on Reading before trips to RB Salzburg and Borussia Monchengladbach before their opening Premier League match against Manchester United on August 11.
