Fulham manager Scott Parker says he always saw managerial qualities in Chelsea counterpart Frank Lampard.
Parker, who played alongside Lampard with Chelsea and England, will come up against the former midfielder at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
"(He had a) work ethic and a determination. (I have) massive respect for Frank as a footballer and the player he was," Parker said.
"I was privileged enough to play with him but I've probably got more respect for a guy that had an unbelievable work ethic.
"He drove (himself) everyday in terms of his craft and wanting to get better and had a single-mindedness about him that got him the career he got.
"With those foundations and those abilities, I always knew that if that was a thing he wanted to go into in terms of management then he'd be successful because with those values you've always got a chance.
"So it doesn't surprise me that he's gone to Derby and does well and then gets the Chelsea job under tight restrictions last year in terms of what they had to go through and he did an incredible job with them. And the same this year really."
