Injury News: Chelsea star Mason Mount returns to training ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup
As per football.london, Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has returned to first-team training ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place in Abu Dhabi. The players flew in for the tournament after their FA Cup tie on the weekend.
The Blues laboured past League One side Plymouth Argyle, having to get through 120 minutes of action to knock out their 4th round opponents. Although the club progressed to the fifth round of the cup competition, it came at a cost as Mount was forced off the pitch during extra time.
As a result, the Englishman was a doubt for Chelsea’s fixtures in the Club World Cup, with the Blues taking on Al Hilal from the Saudi Pro League on Wednesday. A win against the Saudi Arabian side takes them to the final of the tournament.
Luckily for the Blues, Mount was spotted doing some light training with his teammates, before the England international completed some individual training to help build up his fitness.
The 23-year-old was seen being through his paces by Chelsea assistant coaches Arno Michels and Zsolt Low on Monday afternoon. Manager Thomas Tuchel has not travelled to Saudi Arabia with the rest of the team after he tested positive for Covid.
Mount in contention?
Although it remains to be seen whether Mount is fit enough to face Al Hilal tomorrow, the midfielder’s journey back to full fitness is encouraging for Blues fans, with the player being a fan favourite ever since his first season for the club.
The news about Mount’s return to training comes as a huge injury boost for Chelsea, who are already without defenders Ben Chilwell and Reece James for the FIFA Club World Cup due to long-term injury issues. James, however, has travelled with our squad for the FIFA CWC.
Mount’s presence will be sorely missed if the Englishman is not declared fit for tomorrow’s game, with the midfielder providing real spark and energy into the centre of the pitch whenever he plays. The academy product has been a regular fixture in Tuchel’s lineups this season.
His importance was highlighted last season as well, with his stunning performances on the pitch helping Chelsea win the Champions League as he picked up an assist in the final against Manchester City. The player also scored in the semi-final against Real Madrid to help his side progress to the summit clash.
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Chelsea will hope that he recovers in time for their clash against Al Hilal tomorrow, as the Blues look to add silverware to their trophy cabinet early on in the season and finish what has been an injury-riddled campaign strongly. We are yet to win the FIFA CWC with our last attempt ending in a 1-0 loss against Corinthians in the final almost a decade ago.
Mount or not, the club should still see through Al-Hilal, who sit fourth in Saudi Arabia’s top-tier league. The Englishman would have obviously added a lot of quality to our midfield if he plays but we have a bench solid enough to see through such challenges.