West Ham’s Declan Rice is known for being one of Mason Mount’s best buddies off the pitch. The couple have a long history from being aspiring kids to world-class talents in two of London’s most famous clubs.
Mount has been one of Chelsea’s best players in a mixed season and continues to shine on the international stage with England.
Rice has now praised the talented 22-year-old, who is turning out to be one of Premier League’s most coveted midfield talents
Calling him a ‘special’ player, Declan Rice spoke to talkSPORT on what he feels about his childhood mate.
“I think if you see him every day in training, how good he is in the positions he picks up, he’s really intelligent,” Rice commented.
Mount’s versatility has always been a talking point – as he tends to drift all over midfield, involving himself in team play, all the while making darting runs in the final-third. Speaking of which, Rice said:
“I think he’s starting to become more intelligent now with playing more games. He can play the number 10 role, but I feel when he’s as a number eight arriving late in the box, and he’s linking things from outside the box, he’s a special player.”
Mount has appeared regularly for England in Gareth Southgate’s team, who recently called him ‘exceptional’. He almost broke a decade-long Xavi record against San Marino and scored a wonderful finish in the next match against Albania.
You can watch Rice’s interview below –