Thomas Tuchel has found out what Frank Lampard knew before him.
Mason Mount is legit.
The English youngster was again a huge part of a Chelsea win, as the Blues reinforced their top four stock with a 2-0 defeat of Fulham on Saturday at Craven Cottage.
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Mount didn’t score but did set up a Kai Havertz goal with a silky takedown of a powerful 70-yard pass, slipping the German through for the first marker of his brace.
“He has the full package, mentally, in terms of talent and physically and the most important part is his character, he has his feet on the ground and he’s a nice guy,” Tuchel said. “He comes to Cobham every day to learn something new and have new experiences. He is the guy who can recover very fast, he’s a very physical player and is fully adapted to Premier League football. He has big self-confidence in a very, very positive way.”
Tuchel feels that he’s got a lifer in Mount, which explains the attraction from Lampard.
After all, Lampard gave his guts to the game and perhaps that’s why he was driven to give Mount the chance to take his senior team lumps first at Derby County in the Championship and then with Chelsea in the top-flight.
Mount did suffer a little scare late when he landed hard, but Tuchel told our own Joe Prince-Wright that removing the midfielder from the game was already in the cards and simply a precaution heading into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal versus Real Madrid.
He’s hopeful it’s nothing.
“I saw him holding his back slightly, so we didn’t want to take any risks but I have no other information on that.”
Here’s one more gem from Tuchel on Mount:
“It’s a pleasure to have him, be at his side and guide him and support him. It’s impressive -- He’s not affected by all the praise. This is maybe the most important part. He seems to be a guy who likes the sport and feels an obligation to make the most out of it. He wants it absolutely badly, so it’s a top mix.”
