United States forward Haji Wright said Premier League legend and his Coventry City coach Frank Lampard has played a big role in the American's brilliant start to the Championship 2025-26 season.
"Lampard has been a big inspiration for me since he came in. He's shown me a lot of belief, has been able to help me in training and then games to...just perform my best," said the 27-year-old ahead of a U.S. friendly against Ecuador on Oct. 10.
"He's a great player during his time, and now he's a great person to be around, and he's very personable, so it's easy to talk to him whenever I have any questions. He's up until now gotten the best out of me."
Following a return from an Achilles injury in the summer that left him out of a majority of the 2025 Gold Cup for the USMNT, Wright has thrived at Coventry with nine goals and an assist in his last 10 games in all competitions.
"I was super excited to be at the Gold Cup and to be with the guys. [It was] disappointing to not be able to really contribute much," said Wright, who could earn his first USMNT minutes since June on Friday. "I just tried to heal up and get ready for the season, and hopefully earn my spot back into the national [team]."
With the American striker as the Championship's current leading goalscorer, Coventry are at the top of the table with five wins and four draws from nine games. Lampard's side have not lost a game in the Championship so far this season.
Following a goal last week in a 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday, Wright will seek to maintain his form with the USMNT against Ecuador this Friday, and then Australia on Oct. 14 to close out this month's international break.
