The young Englishman was widely tipped to be one of Chelsea’s best players this season after breaking into the first-team under Maurizio Sarri last season.
Hudson-Odoi is yet to impress since recovering from an Achilles injury which sidelined him for almost six months.
The England forward showed the signs of his old form when he came on as a substitute in Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Lampard has defended Hudson-Odoi from critics and insists the 19-year-old needs support during this difficult time.
“I think it’s a lot at 19 to say with one performance you must produce instantly or you’ll get social media criticism, and I’ll certainly protect him against that,” Lampard said.
“Little snippets like at Arsenal, coming on and looking bright and going by people, he can do all that.”
“He does need to show more but he absolutely will do and we’re right behind him.”
“I’ve not spoken to him about that specifically and unfortunately on social media that’s par for the course.”
“That’s something unfortunately that you’ve got to have a very thick skin about.”
“He’s a young player, 19 and only just. We actually do have to give time and patience given how young he is.”
“I’ve got no problems with him and I’m very pleased with how he did at Arsenal. That should be a nice little boost for him.”
“The Chelsea fans will get behind him, they want to see passion and they want to see all the other things as well as the ability to go by people, which he’s got.”
“So he needs to understand what’s needed but I’ll back him and work with him on that.”
