AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET
Mount was once labelled Lampard’s favourite son but he’s already being admired by Chelsea’s German boss
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MASON MOUNT has already recruited another manager into his ever-growing fan club.
Mount is so popular with Gareth Southgate there are hundreds of memes flying around the internet of the England manager talking about him, while he was often jokingly described as “Frank Lampard’s son”.
Now Thomas Tuchel admits he sees the “huge influence” Mount has on his team.
But the new Chelsea manager warned his midfielder there is still “a lot of room to improve” and he is still not guaranteed a place.
At England level, Mount may not have the flair of Jack Grealish, or even the flashiness of James Maddison. But he has the workrate to match his style, which is why he is a starter for his country.
Tuchel left Mount out of his first starting line-up against Wolves.
It was seen as a sign of him moving away from former boss Lampard’s philosophy, but the reality is the 22-year-old has quickly become irreplaceable at Stamford Bridge.
Mount started in the 2-0 win against Burnley last Sunday and then in the 1-0 win at Spurs on Thursday night. And former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel said: “We had no doubt he had potential and was the team player that he is. When he came in, he showed what a big influence he can have from the bench.
“From here, there are no guarantees for anybody, not even for Mason. It is easy with him because he leaves his heart out there on the pitch, but everybody else does the same thing.
“It is a team effort and Mason is the first to agree on that and to behave like that. This is what we need.
“Is there room to improve? Yes. Is there a lot of room to improve? Yes, even for him. I told him not to worry – you can be even more decisive and more dangerous with your decisions in the last 20 minutes of the match. There are no gifts, so he has to earn his place in every training session and every match. But he is a super-nice guy, totally clear, and he knows about it.
“He is a competitor, so that is why we will keep on pushing him like all the others. He is an absolute team player and still young.
“I cannot tell you where the limit is for Mason and I don’t want to put a limit on his development.
“It is obvious that he has a lot of potential. He is eager to learn, hungry to win, open-minded and he can perform for any manager.
“For him, he really means it. He has this motivation and is a very nice guy with a big personality. What more could you wish more?”