Veteran English player Frank Lampard has picked up calf injury problems, and this means trouble for New York City FC. The play-offs is few weeks away.

This means NYCFC needs all the best legs, but they would have to go ahead without the Chelsea legend. Lampard started slowly in the Major League Soccer when he finally resumed after spending time at Manchester City even as his NYCFC deal was announced. He made a turnaround to be one of the key players in the squad.

NYCFC played FC Dallas over the weekend, and Lampard had to be substituted due to the calf injury he picked up. He played only 40 minutes in the game, and stayed on the bench with his left calf wrapped up. The fans are worried that the consistent and important performances from the ex-Three Lions midfielder might pause pending when he regains full match fitness. When Lampard newly joined the MLS, calf injuries limited his contributions. It took him as much as 15 weeks to make his debut, with many sneering fans saying his $6 million price tag was a waste.

Lampard scored 12 goals in 17 games since making his return. Before the game where he got injured, he scored three goals in his last two matches. Lampard is just behind the club’s record scorer David Villa. The mantle now rests mainly on the former Barcelona striker as coach Patrick Viera confirmed that the calf issues might take a while. Lampard is 38 years old, and probably has only a few years left. Hence, the recurrent calf injuries scare everyone as he might be forced to retire much earlier than expected

NYCFC had goals from Tommy McNamara and Khiry Shelton to force FC Dallas to a 2-2 draw. The extent of the injury is yet to be ascertained.