“When it was Lampard, it didn’t count”: Gareth Southgate Hits Out At Mason Mount And Frank Lampard’s Naysayers

Mount netted for his country during their most recent qualifier

Across the last year, Mason Mount’s career has only been on an uptick. The wonderkid has been stellar for both Chelsea and England, a player who is fast on the path to becoming a mammoth name in the upcoming years.

Netting for England against Albania in the country’s FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Mount once again showed why he’s made such inroads in such a short period of time. The midfielder has now contributed to a goal in each of his last three England appearances, showings which repose the faith Lampard had in him.

Southgate Slams Criticism Of Lampard

However, Lampard was often berated and belittled for his persistence with Mount. The now previous Chelsea manager was hardly credited with the player’s growth, something Gareth Southgate was quick to remind everyone.

Speaking after his side’s win, Southgate tore into Lampard’s detractors and talked about how Mount was undervalued when he played under Lampard’s eye.

‘‘I was saying in the autumn that he is a very good player. I suppose now Thomas Tuchel picks him, everybody will agree,’ Southgate said after his side’s win.

“When it was Frank Lampard, it didn’t count for some reason. He’s an exceptional player. He finds space intelligently, he manipulates the ball very well, creates chances, scores goals. I thought his performance was excellent tonight.”

Mason Mount also spoke about his performance and his work ethic after his side’s win.

“My mentality is always that I just keep working hard to get into the team and stay in the team and just try to get as many games as I can. That is always my focus,” said Mount.

“Obviously very fortunate to start the last seven games and I’m in a good place at the moment and scored tonight. “I am confident. I’ve just got to keep that going. Now the focus is on the next game. It is a massive game against Poland.”

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