Frank Lampard really impressed with Mason Mount’s quality

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has acknowledged that he has been really impressed with the performances of midfielder Mason Mount in pre-season. Mount spent the previous season on loan with Derby County under the guidance of Lampard and he has got the chance to work again with the 41-year-old, who was appointed as the new head coach last month.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Lampard admitted that he is pleased with Mount carrying on with the form displayed at Derby last term. He added that he has a potential selection headache on his hands because of the same, considering the presence of the likes of Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the club’s ranks.

He said: “He’s done a lot. Coming back here, obviously I worked with him last year. I’m really happy with how he’s trained and his status within the group. The players recognise quality instantly, but they also recognise work rate and character. Mason’s got all of those and he’s given me a problem. Ross Barkley’s also had a good pre-season and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be back later on. It’s good because they’re all adaptable and can play in a variety of positions amongst themselves. I couldn’t ask for more from what Mason’s done.”

At present, Loftus-Cheek won’t be making the push for a starting role, given he is still recovering from a long-term Achilles problem. As such, it could be a direct battle between Barkley and Mount for the number 10 role and the former could have the edge, considering he has been in the better run of form during the backend of the pre-season campaign.

Barkley and Mount have contributed four and three goals respectively during pre-season, but the former has also contributed three assists. Furthermore, the former Evertonian has also impressed with the long-ball distribution and that should provide him with a starting berth for the league opener against Manchester United on August 11.