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Lampard eyes many more years with England & Chelsea

Frank Lampard has no plans to withdraw from international duty © Getty Images

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Frank Lampard has insisted he will never retire from international football - saying he will be available for England for as long as the national team need him.

Lampard, 33, is currently on 90 caps for the Three Lions and admits it would be an "amazing achievement" if he could emulate the likes of David Beckham and go on to reach a century of caps.

The Chelsea midfielder is not prepared to stay past his welcome in order to pass that milestone, however - stressing that he will happily step aside if England head coach Roy Hodgson believes the next generation have now surpassed him.

"I'm very keen to continue playing for England. I'm not a person who wants to retire at an early age," Lampard said, according to the Sun. "If I don't play for my country any more, it will only be because they don't pick me or I can no longer give what I want to give in an England shirt. And I don't feel that yet.

"The minute I feel I can't contribute I will go. There will be no ego thing of trying to hang around for more caps.

"At the moment I have 90 and I would love to go on and make it to 100. But I wouldn't want to be there as a charity case and they're rolling me out just to get to some milestone.

"I only want 100 if I deserve it. That's an amazing achievement for anyone, as it means you've played at the highest level for a very long time.

"I'd be very proud if I got there and my dad and my family would be even prouder. That would be the nicest thing for me.

"But I'm already very proud of what I've done for England. I've played 90 games and if I didn't play another I'd still be happy with that."

Lampard missed out on a chance to add to his caps haul after he was ruled out of the European Championship through injury - admitting it was a "frustrating" summer but one that might enable him to play better for his club this term.

"Missing the Euros was a huge disappointment at the time. I came into the squad off the back of our Champions League final win and was really bouncing with excitement," he noted. "But I suffered a thigh injury on the second day of training and was devastated when I knew I was going to miss the Championships.

"It was frustrating to watch the tournament and see us get knocked out by Italy. Yet maybe it has put something in the bank for me in terms of resting my legs through the summer, something I don't normally get."

The former West Ham youngster only has 12 months left on his current contract at Stamford Bridge but does not expect to retire from football at its conclusion. Whether or not he stays with the Blues remains to be seen, however - with a move to MLS tipped in some quarters, Lampard acknowledges that much will depend on Chelsea's hierarchy.

"In an ideal world, I'd finish my career at Chelsea and keep giving what I have given over the past 11 years," he said. "I certainly feel I've more than 12 months left in me. I reckon I've a few more years in terms of top football.

"I'm fit and fresh enough and I think I showed that at the end of last season.

"Chelsea will always be my club now, regardless of what happens for the rest of my career. But I don't want just to fade away as a player and be here without performing much for the team.

"I want to be at a level at which I know I can perform.

"There's no timeline set for contract negotiations to start and I'm not in any rush. My view now is I have had a fantastic time playing for Chelsea and I hope I can prolong it."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.