Rio Ferdinand admits that he is still “baffled” that Mason Mount receives criticism despite continuing to impress for Chelsea.
Mount was on song once again in the 1-0 win over Tottenham on Thursday night, proving why he was undroppable for Frank Lampard.
The England international was frequently seen as a favourite of Lampard, perhaps suggesting that his selection wasn’t always based purely on form or ability.
But while Ferdinand revealed that Lampard was excited about Mount’s potential, he still does not understand why some still cast doubts over the 22-year-old’s ability.
“I still can’t believe he gets stick. It baffles me,” Ferdinand told BT Sport. “I don’t understand where all this comes from around him.
“I was lucky enough to go to the training ground to speak to him and see Frank and Frank said to me, ‘he excites me, this kid’.”
Meanwhile, co-pundit Steve Sidwell was also impressed by Mount against Spurs, citing his link-up play with the forward men in particular as a key strength.
“He’s been superb. Fully deserved man of the match,” said Sidwell.
“What I like about him is every time he gets the ball it’s on the half turn or he’s looking forward.
“He doesn’t just try to play it safe. His link-up play and his intuition with Werner and Hudson-Odoi, he just keeps probing.”
And Ferdinand added: “He’d be a nightmare to play against. He’s someone I think you’d go into a game and think, ‘it’s going to be hard work playing against him’.
“Because he’s always on the move, he plays away from players. You very rarely see him get the ball with someone touch tight to him because his spatial awareness on the pitch is fantastic.
“All these clips you see him, he’s not marked. That’s not because of people not marking him, it’s about him staying away from people and freeing himself to create positions to create chances to score goals.
“What I love about his interview is this a humbleness about him, ‘I know I need to work’.”
