Lampard told me to beat his caps haul, says Mount
It was last Thursday afternoon at Derby County’s training ground that Mason Mount was summoned by Frank Lampard, the man he has idolised since joining Chelsea as a six-year-old.
“At first he said he was thinking of looking to drop me for the next game,” says Mount. “But then he smiled and said, ‘No I’ve spoken to Gareth [Southgate], you’ve been selected for the seniors’.
“He’s obviously got over 100 caps [Lampard has 106] so he said to see if I can break that. He’s given me loads of advice and if I can achieve half of what he has I’ll be happy.”
Lampard has already been a huge influence on Mount’s career, which is on the rise at a rapid rate after making his England Under-21 debut only last month.
In that game, against Latvia, Mount scored the winner and also contributed an assist to convince Southgate that he was ready for a further promotion. Before the World Cup finals, he trained with England’s squad and there has been a hope within the Football Association that Mount could be a fixture in the senior team for the next decade.
“It is a surreal feeling coming into the senior squad,” he said. “As a kid, I always remember being a youngster looking up to players like Wayne Rooney, Frank, and David Beckham. Training for four days before the World Cup made me hungrier to get into the squad. Maybe the opportunity at Chelsea wasn’t there [this season] so I had to get out on loan. Obviously me being chosen for the England senior team was a surprise as I’m playing in the Championship.”
An attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, drawing inevitable comparisons with Lampard, Mount has been directly involved in 17 goals in his past 19 matches across the Eredivisie and the Championship. To be called up by Southgate at the age of 19 underlines how shrewd Mount has been with his career choices, after also spending a year with Vitesse Arnhem.
“To play Dutch football was a good step for me,” he said. “I would definitely encourage it [playing abroad]. You see it happening more and more, with Jadon [Sancho] and Reiss [Nelson] going to Germany.
“It’s a different type of experience, and when you come back to England and play you have that different type of experience you can bring into your football.
“Playing in the first-team at Chelsea remains the ultimate goal. When the time comes I want to go back there and secure my place.”