Frank Lampard tried to sign England midfielders Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in his time at Chelsea, the Everton boss revealed today.
23-year-old Rice and 19-year-old Bellingham both made their World Cup debuts on Monday in England's first match of the Qatar tournament against Iran.
Despite their youth, both players have established themselves at club level, with Rice racking up over 200 West Ham appearances and Bellingham the centre of a £130 million transfer race.
Lampard was full of praise for both players as he spoke in Qatar on Monday.