Olivier Giroud has claimed that he is 'staying patient' at Chelsea after losing his place in the team to Tammy Abraham.

While being involved during the early games of the season, Giroud has barely featured since Abraham began his hot streak in front of goal, with eight goals coming in all competitions since August 24.

However, while acknowledging his frustration, Giroud has been quick to praise the impact of the academy graduate over the past six weeks.

The Frenchman told L'Equipe: "I'm fine, I've had hard times. Now it's not the ideal situation. At this moment, little Tammy is walking on water. Listen, it's hard to drop a striker when he's successful.

"I am patient. I work in training. You have to keep a good state of mind. We have a lot of games to play."

Giroud was an unused substitute as Chelsea defeated Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday night.