With huge hype around Chelsea ace Mason Mount at the moment, we ask the question of whether he has the ability to become the next Frank Lampard?
Lampard is arguably one of the best English midfielders of all time, having won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, Champions League and the Europa League during a trophy-laden period at Chelsea.
The 41-year-old is the Blues’ record goalscorer with 211 goals in 648 games while he is the highest-scoring midfielder in PL history, netting 177 times to sit fourth in the overall charts.
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Although international silverware eluded the Romford-born star, he was an integral part of the Three Lions’ set-up during his career, earning 106 caps from 1999-2014 to sit tied-seventh in England’s all-time capped players.
Lampard is also England’s top penalty scorer, having converted from the spot nine times to sit two ahead of Wayne Rooney and three clear of Alan Shearer, Ron Flowers and Harry Kane.
Emulating the legendary midfielder will be difficult for any player but there are strong hopes Mount could come somewhere close to matching the three-time Premier League winner.
The 20-year-old joined Chelsea’s youth ranks in 2004 and he has been working his way through the system ever since, with his breakthrough season coming at Vitesse in the 2017/18 campaign, where he scored nine goals in 29 appearances while on loan.
Mount then spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Derby County, who were managed by Lampard, and the Portsmouth-born ace netted eight times from 35 Championship games as the Rams lost 2-1 in the play-off final against Aston Villa.
Despite failing to secure promotion, the England Under-21 international earned rave reviews for his performances and there was said to be a lot of interest in his services from Premier League teams.
Chelsea made the decision to appoint Lampard as manager this summer, taking over from Maurizio Sarri, and the new boss has immediately shown his faith in the younger generation at Stamford Bride.
With the club banned for two transfer windows, this switch in thinking was more forced on Lampard but that has not stopped the rising stars taking the opportunity with both hands.
Tammy Abraham, who spent last season on loan at Villa, has netted four league goals while Mount has found the back of the net twice – in the 1-1 draw against Leicester and 3-2 win over Norwich City.
Already, comparisons are being made between Mount, who has been included in England’s squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo, and Lampard, and whether the young pretender can emulate one of his idols.
Working with Lampard is certainly going to boost Mount’s chances of improving his game and the latter recently revealed he is doing extra sessions with the manager to enhance his finishing.
Scoring goals is, of course, what the Chelsea boss was renowned for doing during his career and it is crucial the talented Blues starlet improves this area if he wants to become a legend for both club and country.
Overall, matching Lampard’s record could be a step too far due to the fact Mount is playing in a team that seems to be in a transitional phase, making it harder for success to come his way.
As for Lampard, he played during a time when the Londonders were one of the dominant forces in English football, with money being splashed around for over a decade as they become the ‘English Galacticos’.
There is no denying Mount has huge amounts of talent and he can become a very good player, but reaching the lofty heights of his manager looks to be too much of an ask.
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