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| England winger Joe Cole has admitted that the boos levelled at Frank Lampard upon his substitute appearance on Saturday ‘amazed’ him. Lampard, returning from a lengthy lay-off from a thigh injury had to settle with a place on the bench on Saturday as Gareth Barry retained his place in the centre of midfield. Barry once again put in a man-of-the-match display, putting in further doubt Lampard’s credentials as a starter in a 4-4-2 set-up. In the second half manager Steve McClaren began to tests a few theories out ahead of Wednesday’s clash in Russia, by bringing on Lampard to join Gerrard and Barry in midfield. But not for the first time, a section of the England fans greeted Lampard’s presence with a chorus of boos. Chelsea and England team-mate Joe Cole jumped to the defence of Lamps, stating his belief that the former West Ham man is one of the best players in the world. Cole said: "For me, Frank is one of the best players in the world. He has never let England down. "He has been England's player of the year. It amazes me that people can do that. "I can't believe it. He is one of the best players I have played with. I can't remember him having too many average games in an England shirt. "But Frank is a strong character. If anyone is a strong enough character to deal with that, it is Frank. "It is not nice when it happens to anyone. But Frank will come through this and show people what a top player he is." |