Chelsea coach Frank Lampard has thrown down the gauntlet to Tammy Abraham, challenging the striker to prove his worth as a goalscorer after netting against Barcelona.
Despite missing a golden chance early on, the England international put in a stellar performance in Saitama, leading the line expertly and scoring his first goal of pre-season.
The 21-year-old showed his composure to score the opener, rounding Marc-Andre ter Stegen before rolling into an empty net. Ross Barkley added a second late on before Ivan Rakitic's wonder strike proved only to be a consolation.
Abraham is likely to be part of Chelsea's first-team squad this season after a fine loan spell at Aston Villa, scoring 26 goals on their way to promotion.
After praising his side's display, Lampard singled out Abraham in his post-match press conference, telling the striker he needs to continue scoring consistently after opening his Chelsea account.
"I won’t get carried away with anything about this performance," the Blues boss told reporters.
"Tammy’s a goalscorer and he’s hungry for goals. Now it’s his time to prove it for Chelsea. To get his goal will put him in good stead."
Along with Abraham, Mason Mount, 20, is set to stay with the senior squad after an impressive loan stint under Lampard last season at Derby County.
Mount will face a battle to secure a starting spot with Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic all capable of playing in the No. 10 role, but Lampard revealed the playmaker is in contention.
"There’s competition [for places]," he added. "Mason’s had a great trip [on tour in Japan] and he’s announced himself into the first team squad."
