Cole backs Mount to make the breakthrough with Chelsea

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has backed Mason Mount to make the breakthrough with Chelsea this term after taking the chance to impress during the pre-season campaign. The England youth international has spent the past two seasons on loan with Vitesse and Derby County respectively and he has now been rewarded with a first-team spot ahead of the 2019/2020 season.

Speaking to TalkSPORT, Cole described Mount as a top player and stated that the midfielder will have a part to play for the Blues in the upcoming season, he said: “Mason Mount is a top player. He’s produced the goods on loan in Holland [with Vitesse] and in England [with Derby]. Every challenge he’s had he’s met. For me that’s a sign that a player is going to go places. Every time a question is asked of him, he performs. You’ve got to take your chance if you’re a young lad. It might be five or ten minutes, that’s the nature of the beast. “You get the feeling if Mason gets the nod he will produce.”

Mount has been a regular under new boss Frank Lampard during pre-season and he has been the club’s top scorer with three goals. Elsewhere, he has also impressed with the quick link-up play and it remains to be seen whether he would be handed a competitive debut from the starting lineup when the Blues face Manchester United in the league opener next month.

Aside from Mount, Ross Barkley has been another player re-born under the tutelage of Lampard and the former Everton man has found the net in back-to-back friendlies against Reading and Barcelona. Barkley has shared the number 10 duties with Mount during the course of pre-season but the latter seems to hold the edge with the better decision-marking when it comes to the final third.