Frank Lampard believes Coventry city striker Sidiki Cherif is a bit special

Frank Lampard says he has every belief that Sidiki Cherif will live up to his ‘big signing’ tag for Coventry City.

The £20.9m summer signing from Fenerbahce has taken a couple of months to settle but on Monday night gave a clear indication of what he’s capable of and what’s to come from the teenager.

Still only 19, the centre-forward was tasked with leading the line against Newcastle and promptly won a penalty before adding to Jack Rudoni’s precise spot-kick to increase the Sky Blues lead early in the second half.

Coming as his first Premier League start, having previously had just 30 minutes from the bench against Brighton, Cherif has felt his way into the side via the Carabao Cup with game time against Plymouth and Aston Villa.

Now with his first top flight start and 78 minutes under his belt against the Magpies, Lampard has every belief that the number nine will be a success at the CBS Arena.

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Asked what his performance on Monday night will do for the lad’s confidence, the head coach said: “A lot and I could see it in his face afterwards. He’s quite a quiet lad, which I like. He’s very respectful and good but there’s a little hunger that flicks on when he goes onto the training pitch and in a game. I felt it from our first meeting and I’ve seen it in training. He wants to train and do well and sometimes you don’t realise he’s 19.”

Explaining Cherif’s progress since his arrival at the club, Lampard admits it’s been difficult to gauge the lad’s full potential, saying: “You bring a player in like that and he’s young, coming into this league at this level. He’s needed to get fit so it’s been hard to make real clear observations on him.

“We played Aston Villa when he played for us and he hadn’t really trained and I remember feeling, it was like a pre-season game and trying to find the edge, and as a striker the edge is everything. But there’s something about him that I think he’s a bit special in terms of, there’s a lot to his game as a number nine that I love, and he’s got what he did (against Newcastle).”

“He’ll be disappointed with the one he missed because all strikers are, and I said to him, ‘no problem,’ because that’s good. You got there, you’re hungry and you go again, so he’s got that little edge to him in a good way. And yeah, I’m delighted for him for confidence wise. If you can do that, I know that feeling of what that’ll bring him. And we need that because Taiwo’s been out suspended for a few games.”

He added: “I’m delighted for Ellis to come on as well. But we’ve got a lot of belief in Sidi, who’s a big signing for the football club in our intention and in the expense of it. So you want to see things like that and he’s deserved it because he’s come to the club pretty seamlessly.”

Asked if Cherif has that fearlessless that can come with young players, similar to Stephen Mfuni and his late cameo and goal on Monday, the City boss concluded: “Yeah, I think definitely with the youth. And I think Sidi is a good example because he has played in European competition at Fenerbahce and so there is something about him that hopefully feels like he belongs on the level.”

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