Frank Lampard is confident Didier Drogba will stay and fight for his place at Chelsea.
Luiz Felipe Scolari left the Ivorian striker out of his squad for Wednesday's FA Cup win over Southend and there have been suggestions that his Blues career could be over
Assistant boss Ray Wilkins stated after the match that Drogba remains 'a valuable member' of the setup and Lampard believes he will bounce back following his omission.
Lampard feels Drogba is perhaps the best forward in world football and does not want to see him leave Stamford Bridge.
He said: "It's the manager's prerogative to leave players out.
"Every manager I've played under, and I've played under some top managers, has the right to drop someone, put them on the bench, rest them, whatever.
"Didier is a very big personality and player at this club and he will take it in the right way, I'm sure.
"Hopefully he will remain a massive part of this club because he's definitely one of (the best), if not the best, strikers in the world. You always want those sort of people around."
Scolari was critical of his players ahead of the trip to Roots Hall but Lampard does not have a problem with his coach's remarks.
"Any time at any club there will be some players at the top of their game and some that aren't," said Lampard.
"The manager didn't pick on anyone individually. The manager was just explaining how it's been. We're not here to pick out certain individuals, we've all had our patches where we've not played at our best.
"It's important the team stays strong and against Southend we showed a good spirit and team ethic. This is what we need to show from now on.
"I don't think it's a problem - we're all men. When you're a professional at a team like Chelsea and play below par or make a mistake, you have to accept it yourself.
"If the manager criticises you, you have to understand that. There is not a problem with it at all."
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