The talented playmaker admits success has been a bit of a blur after bursting onto a senior stage at Stamford Bridge
Mason Mount admits to being left baffled by his meteoric rise to prominence at Chelsea, with the England international now a Blues centurion and Champions League winner.
Scaling such heights appeared a long way off when the 22-year-old spent time on loan at Vitesse and Derby between 2017 and 2019.
He was, however, to be handed a big break by Frank Lampard – who worked with him at Pride Park – and has not looked back while racing to the very top of domestic and continental games.
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What has been said?
Mount, who saw Thomas Tuchel replace Lampard as manager midway through the season, told the Blues’ official website of his transformation from virtual unknown to household name: “I’ve learnt a lot.
“I had never experienced a new manager coming in halfway through the season but Thomas brought different tactics and had a different look on football. All the boys bought into it.
“For me personally, everything has happened so quick. You don’t have time to pinch yourself or look back at what’s happened. I made my 100th appearance for Chelsea in April and it baffles me how that’s gone so quickly but football is a short career.
“The seasons fly by so you have to make the most of every season and enjoy it, which is always something I try to do. Don’t look too far ahead or too far back, just stay in the moment and try to do the big things in football, which is winning trophies.”
Will Mount star for England?
Success at club level has helped Mount to earn 18 senior caps for his country, with the most recent of those coming against Scotland at Euro 2020.
He had to sit out a meeting with the Czech Republic after being forced into self-isolation, but is expected to come back into contention for a crunch last-16 clash with Germany on Tuesday as the Three Lions seek to keep themselves in contention for major silverware.
Mount added on that quest: “It’s such an honour to represent your country.
“It’s the pinnacle of the game so when you come to a major tournament, it’s always playing on your mind about what the opportunity can be and what you can achieve.
“It can be a massive summer for us all and we’re such a close group, almost like a family, which can definitely help us. We all want to achieve big things. We’re young and hungry so it could be a very exciting few weeks.”
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