Lampard says Chelsea need to 'move on' from Hazard exit

Hazard moved to Real Madrid in June with the Spanish club reported to have paid around €100 million for the Belgium international.

Chelsea lost their opening Premier League game with Lampard in charge 4-0 to Manchester United on Sunday and face Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.

Former England international Lampard says the team can collectively thrive despite losing Hazard, just as they did after the departure of other club favourites.

"I was a huge fan of Eden Hazard, as a Chelsea fan. I played with him. For me, clearly he's one of the best in world football, over his time at Chelsea one of the most productive in the team generally and a leader," Lampard told a news conference.

"You can't replace him individually, because of the high level he is at now. But the good news and the positive news is that we have a group of players... that can step up. The answer is that as a team we have to find a way to carry on. Hazard, [John] Terry, [Didier] Drogba, move on."

The Super Cup pits the Champions League winners, Liverpool, against the Europa League winners, Chelsea.

Lampard said he would continue to play the club's young players despite criticism from former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho on Sunday.

The Chelsea manager started with a young side at Old Trafford, including Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham and Mourinho suggested he might have gone for a more experienced line-up for such a game.

"I pick the best team to win the game, regardless of age," he said.

"If young players are showing what they can do in training and deserve their chance, for example Mason Mount deserves his chance completely on absolute merit as opposed to age, I will have no fears to play young players because it’s important for a club like Chelsea that we do that. But they need to deserve their chance.

"I was pretty proud of how we played on Sunday but we have learnt a few lessons which will serve us well in the future," he added, before insisting the Super Cup was a game that meant a lot to the club.

"I am optimistic about tomorrow's game and proud to be here managing the team. We know it's going to be a big test but if we play to our maximum we can win the match."