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English champions Manchester City have confirmed the signing of former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard till the beginning of the Major League Soccer season where he will turn out for New York FC in March 2015. The player had earlier signed for New York FC but will remain at the Etihad for the first half of the Premier League season in a bid to stay fit.
In a statement released on their Official website, the Manchester Club revealed that the decision was taken after the former England captain’s meeting with manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Lampard said:
"Joining up with Manchester City is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue to train and play at the top level and make sure I am in top condition for New York City.
"It has been an amazing few days for me since the unveiling in Brooklyn and everyone connected with both clubs has been fantastic to me. This is a new chapter of my career and I'm really excited about the experience.
"I met Manuel and some of the players in New York and I'm looking forward to getting into training and making a contribution for Manchester City ahead of my move over to New York."
Manager Pellegrini expressed delight at the signing
He said: "Frank is a world class midfielder and this is an opportunity which works perfectly for everyone, the player, Manchester City, and New York City.
"I'm looking forward to working with him and integrating him into our squad. New York have made a fantastic signing by recruiting Frank, and I'm really pleased that we'll be able to have him with us for the first half of our season and help prepare him for his new challenge."
This is in contradiction to his earlier statement in 2013 where the player had said that he would not play for another Premier League club.
The midfielder will take the No. 18 shirt this season.
