Mount won’t inflict more pain on Jorgy
MASON MOUNT insists he takes no joy at Italy’s shock failure to reach Qatar 2022.
Sure, Roberto Mancini’s men inflicted the most painful night in English football history with their Euro final shoot-out victory over Gareth Southgate’s side.
But, if anything, the agony and heartache Mount experienced at Wembley last July makes him sympathise and empathise with Italy’s dramatic fall from grace even more.
Asked if he might be having a laugh at Chelsea pal Jorginho’s expense after the Azzurri’s playoff defeat by North Macedonia, the Three Lions ace revealed it to be the total reverse.
The Italian playmaker may love being a prankster at Stamford Bridge but no way does that mean Mount would pile on the misery with some savage World Cup banter.
The Chelsea midfielder, 23, said: “No, I won’t be giving him jokes or stick about what’s happened with Italy.
“It’s hard for me to see a player I have played with for the last three years go through something like that.
“You know how much hard work it takes to get into that position, so to just fall short is so disappointing.
“I actually sent him a little message and said: ‘Keep your head up, you’ve had an amazing season and, hopefully, we can go on this season to win some more things together’.
“I always mention Jorgy is the joker in the group. But when it comes to big games against us, there is nothing but respect between us all.
“The hunger to win for your country means so much, so there would never be a joke about it afterwards.”
Not that Southgate’s Euro finalists can worry too much about the fate of rivals as they attempt to go one stage further in Qatar next November and December.
In contrast to the Italians, the Three Lions have powered on since the summer.
Yet, while unbeaten in 20 games over 90 or 120 minutes before last night’s Wembley clash against Switzerland, they still need to justify their elite credentials, according to Mount.
The Blues playmaker, with eight goals this season, went on: “We’ll always, always have that desire and hunger to prove something and win things.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve won something, but as a group we know that if we keep pushing and believing then we can achieve something.
“We’ve got the players for that. Everything is set up and we know we can do big things – as we showed last summer.
“We didn’t quite make it but now the hunger to go that extra step means the flame is burning even stronger. To achieve something big and make the country proud is still our goal.”