England manager Gareth Southgate backs Frank Lampard over Mason Mount verdict
Speaking in an interview (h/t Eurosport) after England beat Albania, Gareth Southgate spoke highly of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount and questioned why people did not value Frank Lampard’s judgement of the midfielder.
Mount starred in a 2-0 win for the Three Lions as England marched towards another victory in their FIFA World Cup qualifiers group. Southgate has long been a fan of the 22-year-old.
The youngster already has 15 caps for the senior team and has 4 goals and 2 assists to his name. And he is also flourishing at Chelsea despite doubts about how he would fare under Thomas Tuchel.
Frank Lampard heavily preferred the Englishman in his starting XI. But according to Southgate, it is only when Tuchel started picking Mount in his line-up that people really took notice of the youngster.
“I suppose now that Thomas Tuchel picks him, everybody will agree [that he is a great player]. When it was Frank, it doesn’t count for some reason.”
A great prospect
Southgate also highlighted the strengths in Mount’s game. He is, after all, the first Chelsea player since Frank Lampard, to score or assist in three consecutive England matches.
“He is an exceptional player, he finds space intelligently, he creates chances, he scores goals. I thought his performance was excellent tonight as was Phil’s (Foden).”
Mount has featured in every single Premier League game for the Blues since Tuchel’s arrival. It seems that he is trusted by the German gaffer as much as he was by Lampard.
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And it is obvious that if Chelsea are to fulfil their dreams of a top-4 finish this season, Mount would play a major role in that. But for now, his next task is a home game on Wednesday against Poland for the national team.