Frank Lampard outlines ‘real project’ of a player with ‘confidence in his eye’ at Coventry City

Raphael Borges Rodrigues, Coventry City’s summer acquisition, is a “real project,” according to Frank Lampard. The young winger was acquired by the Sky Blues from Australian A-League team Macarthur FC during the most recent transfer window, but he has only made two appearances since. He came off the bench for a short while at the conclusion of the festive match against Cardiff City, and he was given just over 15 minutes on his home debut at the CBS Arena during extra time in the FA Cup third round.

After sustaining a thigh strain in the opening preseason match against Port Vale and suffering another injury while trying to get to full fitness, which he has since managed to achieve, the 21-year-old has had a challenging first half of the Championship season.Lampard responded, “I’m just pleased for him because Rapha is a real project, and I’m not belittling him there, but his background of not much football and coming from the A-League and getting injured in pre-season and getting injured again…,” when asked how he thought the young player performed in his brief appearance against Sheffield Wednesday.

We are attempting to work with him on the training field because this is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, and he has been a delight to work with. He puts his head down and works hard; he has talent and is becoming and appearing fitter.And I believed we saw a few peeks within the roughly fifteen minutes he had, and I believed he understood the game well. Rapha has a lot of work ahead of him, but he has a genuine skill and a charming confidence in his eyes.”I believe he believes he is a gifted youngster who belongs here, which is a huge advantage. I was therefore happy with him. He will continue to improve, but today was a positive beginning for him.

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