'Really surprised': Scott Minto admits what Frank Lampard was actually like in West Ham training

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West Ham United unearthed a gem in Frank Lampard but never got to see him reach his full potential, as Chelsea was the place where it all came together for the Englishman.

Frank Lampard came through the West Ham United academy and made his debut for the club debut on 31 January 1996 against Coventry City.

He went on to make 179 appearances for the Hammers and scored 33 goals before joining rivals Chelsea for around £11 million.

The Englishman made 648 appearances for Chelsea and won 11 trophies, establishing himself as a legend for the club in the process.

His managerial career hasn’t quite taken the same trajectory as he’s flattered to deceive at Chelsea, Everton and Derby County, with points per-game average of under 1.75.

However, his former teammate at West Ham, Scott Minto has given an interesting insight into exactly what Lampard was like in training…

Scott Minto reveals what really surprised him about Lampard in training at West Ham

Scott Minto played alongside Frank Lampard 40 times in his career.

It’s safe to say that Lampard enjoyed the better of careers, but Minto was no slouch at left-back in his 62 appearances for the Hammers.

Interestingly, Minto has given us some insight into what Lampard was like before the glitz and the glamour, as he revealed his training habits.

When speaking on TalkSPORT’s Premier League All Access podcast, he said this.

“I was really surprised when I joined West Ham. He was a youngster coming into the first team. You could see that he would be a premier league player.

“I didn’t see that he’d be the world class superstar he ended up becoming. But perhaps he didn’t see that either. But I did see a Lampard, you know, one of their own.”

Frank Lampard’s achievements

Frank Lampard will go down as one of the best midfielders to ever grace the Premier League.

He scored 177 goals and provided 102 assists in 609 games in the top-flight, as well as picking up three Premier League titles in that time.

A key member of England's squad for more than a decade, Lampard represented his country 106 times. He was one of five players from the ill-named 'Golden generation' to reach the 100 club.

He was the ultimate goalscoring midfielder, recording 20 or more goals in every season from 2005-06 to 2009-10.