Grant: Our thoughts are with Lampard

Frank Lampard's participation in Chelsea's crucial Barclays Premier League showdown with Manchester United on Saturday remains unresolved, with Blues boss Avram Grant insisting the decision would be left to the grieving player.

It is still regarded as highly unlikely that Lampard, whose mother Pat died from pneumonia on Thursday, will play against United, but Grant confirmed it was a matter for the midfielder.

"I think he will not play tomorrow, but we need to speak with him. In these things football is very important, but there are things that are more important. It's how he feels with this," Grant said.

"He didn't train today (Friday) and I can tell you that all our thoughts are with him.

"We are in contact. Frank is very close to his family, so it's not an easy situation.

"He's a professional with full commitment to the team. For the moment, because we have a game tomorrow (Saturday), we will keep it between me and him. We need to respect him.

"We are a close family here at Chelsea and all our sympathies are with him and his family. We just want to make sure that when Frank comes back, we will still be fighting.

"All the players and the staff were very sad because of him. We cannot say more than all our sympathies are with him."

It is understood that both teams will wear black armbands as a mark of respect for Lampard's loss.