Alan Hudson feels Mason Mount was overused by Frank Lampard
Former Chelsea star Alan Hudson has tipped Mason Mount for a bright future but pinpointed how Lampard overused the young star.
Mount burst on to the first-team picture at Chelsea in the previous campaign under former manager Frank Lampard. He caught the eye while on loan at Derby County in the Championship under the Blues legend and enjoyed his breakthrough at Chelsea thereafter.
The 22-year-old established himself as a key player under Lampard last term, playing in all but one of Chelsea’s 38 fixtures in the Premier League. Mount contributed with a handsome tally of 7 goals and 5 assists, playing a key role as the Blues upset the odds to secure a top-four finish.
The academy graduate continued to reach great heights under Lampard this season, starting almost every game before the club legend was eventually sacked in January. Mount has remained a key cog in Chelsea’s midfield following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel.
He followed up a man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 win over Tottenham with a goal as Chelsea overcame Sheffield United 2-1. However, Tuchel has limited his game time just a wee bit, handing him starts in three out of his four games in charge so far.
And Hudson feels that’s the right kind of stance to ensure Mount’s well-being as a young rising talent in the highly-competitive surroundings of the Premier League. Speaking exclusively to Caught Offside, the Blues legend said:
“Frank believed in Mason but I’m not sure if he was putting too much pressure on this young player, because no matter how much energy one has, and boy does he have energy, he’ll finally burn out.
“Tuchel left him out as a reminder that he is part of a team and maybe will not be playing so many matches, like under Frank, which in the modern game makes sense.
Hudson has also suggested that Chelsea should take a page out of Pep Guardiola’s book at Man City to protect Mount.
Guardiola was criticised for underusing Phil Foden in the past campaigns but the youngster’s telling contribution this term shows the manager has been successful in gradually phasing him into the mix at the highest level.
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While Hudson’s comments certainly make sense, there’s no denying the fact that Mount has well and truly earned his place as a regular starter at Chelsea. He’s also a regular for England nowadays, which clearly underlines the kind of progress the 22-year-old has made within a short period of time.
