Frank Lampard believes Mohamed Salah's emergence at Liverpool is proof that Chelsea need patience over Kai Havertz.
Havertz has so far struggled to make a significant impact with the Londoners following his £75million move from Bayer Leverkusen in September.
The 21-year-old is yet to register a goal for his new club and has found himself on the bench for the last three games.
The Germany international has been dealing with the effects of a COVID-19 infection in November and Lampard says the club will do their all to ensure Havertz is in a position to thrive on the pitch.
Lampard made reference to both Salah and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, players who have become two of the leading lights in the Premier League after failed stints with Chelsea earlier in the careers
Reds top scorer Salah, has helped Liverpool to Champions League, Premier League and Club World Cup successes during his time on Merseyside, while City midfielder De Bruyne is widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders in European football.
Lampard says Chelsea's recent history with discarding elite talents like Salah and De Bruyne too soon means they need to be calm about Havertz's development.
“Moving country and missing pre-season, Kai had eight days with us, five work days before he played,” Lampard said.
“That is just not beneficial for a player in any league, let alone when you are coming into the fastest, most physical league in the world.
"Just as Kai was just coming to terms with it he got Covid. He had Covid quite severely.
“He definitely has had a bit of a fallout with that physically. It’s something we are trying to help him to deal with.
"The expectation around him – you have to put context into the story. Kai’s talent is undoubted. Giving him the time to adapt is crucial.
"So with the expectations around him, you have to put context to the story. Kai’s talent is undoubted, I see it every day.
"Giving him the time to adapt to the Premier League and to our team is crucial.
"We have seen players come here in the past that didn’t really adapt and went elsewhere and then came back to the Premier League and lit it up to unbelievable levels.
"I am not trying to compare Kai to that directly but there are so many stories across the Premier League, not just at Chelsea."
