It's no wonder Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini wants to hold on to Frank Lampard for as long as possible.
Lampard started and scored his sixth goal of the season in a 1-0 victory against Leicester City on Saturday morning, in the process tying former Arsenal and New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry for fourth on the all-time Premier League scoring list with 175 goals with a simple finish from a Samir Nasri cross.
On loan from expansion side New York City FC, Lampard has now made 11 league appearances for Manchester City, scoring four goals to go along with two in the the Capital One Cup. Those contributions have Pellegrini hopeful that the 36-year-old will stay on past the end of his loan deal instead of joining up with NYCFC for the club's inaugural preseason.
"Before December finishes we will have a decision but I think Frank is a very important player for us and I hope we will not have any problems for him to stay here," Pellegrini said. "But I cannot say just from one side what will happen with him. He's as very important player for us and we need him at this moment."
NYCFC head coach Jason Kreis said at a team event earlier this month that he has tried to avoid having any expectations about the situation and that a decision will be made that is “best for Frank, best for Manchester City and best for New York City.”
Added Kreis: “At the end of the day, I have full trust in that decision and we will certainly live by whatever it is.”
