Lee Johnson will have a direct say in how Frank Lampard's first season at Derby County is assessed but the Bristol City head coach believes his opposite number on Saturday is destined to manage Chelsea.
The Robins take on Derby in a crucial encounter in terms of the overall play-off picture in the Championship; defeat for eighth-placed City will end their hopes while the Rams can further cement their position in sixth with victory at Ashton Gate.
Whatever transpires at BS3, Johnson has been left impressed by what Lampard has achieved since being appointed at Pride Park last summer in his maiden managerial role.
Due to his legendary, almost statesmanlike, status at Stamford Bridge, the better Lampard does in the dugout, the more he will be linked with a return to Chelsea, something Johnson claims is an inevitability.
"Frank’s taken to the role really well, as you’d expect. He’s had a front row seat all his life behind a dad and an uncle who have been top coaches and top managers," Johnson said, referencing Frank Lampard Snr and Harry Redknapp.
"He’s taken it to like a duck to water: he’s at a brilliant club, has made some good signings for a team that had a good base at Championship level, and has a supportive owner.
"I see Frank having a long career. You think he’s destined to be the Chelsea manager one day ... I can’t see any fault in the job he’s done at Derby."
After considerable hype and excitement over his appointment last summer, Lampard has moulded Derby into one of the most consistent team's in the second tier, playing some excellent football and remaining in play-off contention throughout the season as well as some notable results in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Tellingly, Lampard has also accelerated the developments of a number of young players including Chelsea's Fikayo Tomori, the centre-back named Derby's player of the season, and midfielder Mason Mount who has enjoyed an outstanding campaign in the Championship. Both who will return to west London at the end of the campaign.
Although his focus remains solely fixed on earning promotion with Derby, ESPN reported on Thursday that the 40-year-old, who made 648 appearances for the Blues before leaving in 2014, "would not be scared off even in the event of the worst-case scenario" of having to replace Maurizio Sarri under a transfer embargo.
This summer also promises to be a difficult time for Derby as the club will lose a number of high-earners on free transfers in what is likely to be a financially restrictive rebuild for the Rams.
Bristol City retain close links with Chelsea having signed Tomas Kalas, Jay Dasilva and Kasey Palmer on loan this season while Johnson was pictured in close discussion with John Terry at the FA Cup tie between the Blues and Manchester United in February. The City head coach is a former teammate at Yeovil of John's older brother Paul.
When asked if he had contacted Aston Villa assistant John Terry to attain any tip in stopping Lampard's Derby, Johnson chuckled and said: "No, certainly not because John Terry, Frank Lampard and myself are all competing at the moment. I'm not as friendly as those two are but I do respect them as players and coaches."
