Ashley Cole has echoed Chelsea legends John Terry and Frank Lampard's belief that Mason Mount is a future club captain.
In the 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over Luton Town back in January, 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.
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 on that occasion.
And captaining the west London outfit could become a regular occurrence for Mount in the future as predicted by Lampard.
"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," Lampard told Chelsea's official website.
"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.
"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.
"He [Mason Mount] has been the best Chelsea player this season," Terry said during his Instagram live. "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]."
After watching Mount net the only goal during Chelsea's 1-0 win over Liverpool on Thursday night, Cole predicted that the midfielder could be pushing for the captaincy as early as next season.
"Talking about Mason Mount, what he produced today was brilliant," Cole said on Sky Sports. "For me, he’s one of the most vocal players in this team. He presses with intensity, he mentioned they wanted to press high and regain it high.
"He’s the one who initiates the press, he starts it, and he got the goal. I agree with him, he has to start focusing on scoring and being more effective.
"What a player he is, he’s got the right attitude and next season, he’ll definitely be pushing for captaincy."
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