Chelsea legends John Terry and Frank Lampard are both in agreement that Mason Mount is a future club captain. In the 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over Luton Town last month, the midfielder became the youngest player (at 22) to wear the armband for the Blues since Terry, who was given the honour as a 21-year-old.
Frank Lampard said “I only told him quickly in the dressing room because the armband was already hanging on his shirt, so I saw him clock it. I went over to him and I kept it brief. Listen, he deserves it. He is playing like a captain and he played like a captain recently and all season. He loves Chelsea and came through the academy. The club captain is Azpilicueta and he was not playing today but he is a great role model for Mason. He feels the club, has desire for the club and tries to affect things other than himself. You can’t always ask a kid to do that when they are coming through because it is a lot on their shoulders but through the maturity of his performance last season but this season in particular, I have seen that he has gone up a level in his game. He dropped deeper today and he showed the strength and quality in his passing, but I thought it was very apt to give him the captaincy. Like I said, it will be one for the future for him with the hierarchy and how it is. But Mason is going to be a captain many times for the club going forward just not regularly right now.”
Frank Lampard said “I only told him quickly in the dressing room because the armband was already hanging on his shirt, so I saw him clock it. I went over to him and I kept it brief. Listen, he deserves it. He is playing like a captain and he played like a captain recently and all season. He loves Chelsea and came through the academy. The club captain is Azpilicueta and he was not playing today but he is a great role model for Mason. He feels the club, has desire for the club and tries to affect things other than himself. You can’t always ask a kid to do that when they are coming through because it is a lot on their shoulders but through the maturity of his performance last season but this season in particular, I have seen that he has gone up a level in his game. He dropped deeper today and he showed the strength and quality in his passing, but I thought it was very apt to give him the captaincy. Like I said, it will be one for the future for him with the hierarchy and how it is. But Mason is going to be a captain many times for the club going forward just not regularly right now.”Not only does Terry agree with Lampard, but he’s gone one further to predict Mount will also captain the England national team.
John Terry said “He [Mason Mount] has been the best Chelsea player this season. He’s been here since the age of six, he trains very well and is showing leadership qualities. Future Chelsea and England captain [for sure].”
If Mount is eventually named Chelsea captain on a permanent basis, then he will become the first academy product to do so since Terry. With Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, and Jorginho all rested for the tie at Stamford Bridge, Lampard – on what turned out to be one of his final acts as Chelsea head coach, decided it would be the academy product who captained the side in that occasions. And captaining the west London outfit could become a regular occurrence for Mount in the future as predicted by Lampard.
