Lampard Sweats On Frank Onyeka Fitness Ahead Of Coventry’s Championship Test

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard is keeping his fingers crossed over the fitness of Frank Onyeka ahead of their next Sky Bet Championship outing.

The Nigerian midfielder was forced off during last weekend’s home win against Stoke City after appearing to struggle physically. He made way for Victor Torp in the 55th minute, raising concerns about his availability for the upcoming fixture.

Lampard suggested the issue may not be serious but admitted Onyeka had been feeling the strain.

“Yeah, I’m not sure. I think it’s a lot of fatigue and maybe a bit of a knock. He was struggling a bit so he had to come off,” Lampard told CoventryLive.

Onyeka’s minutes have been limited so far this season. He managed only nine appearances for Brentford in the first half of the campaign before making the switch to the CBS Arena. The 28-year-old had also featured eight times for Nigeria prior to his arrival.

Despite that stop-start run, he has quickly become a key figure under Lampard, starting four matches since joining the Sky Blues.

Lampard admitted he weighed up the risks before naming him in the line-up against Stoke.

“Yeah, and I was aware of that,” he said.

“There was a question about playing him, probably, physically, but the influence that he’s had so far meant that he started the game.”