If there was any doubt before, little remains now. Mason Mount is going to be a key player for England this summer at the Euros, and likely beyond that too.
There is a huge amount of competition to play in the Three Lions midfield given the incredible talent available to Gareth Southgate, and that competition is only made more intense by the 3 at the back formation that the manager is using, which means only 2 players can fit behind Harry Kane up top.
Mount has started both games in this international break so far, picking up an assist in the first game and then a goal yesterday as he played 90 minutes in the second. If Southgate was picking purely on merit, we’re sure the 22 year old would be back in the starting XI for the match against Poland on Wednesday – so sure we’d happily use William Hill Promotional Code to bet on it.
That’s just the problem though – Mount is already being worked to the bone at club level, where he’s accumulated 2991 minutes across all competitions. Once you start adding triple-header international breaks into the mix, you’re talking a serious risk of burnout.
It’s a pattern we’ve seen time and again with top Premier League stars, especially those playing for England. Successful seasons in the top flight see them catapulted into the national team setup, but they struggle to maintain those levels in intense summer tournaments after a gruelling league season.
Often, they’re then the ones who end up vilified when an exhausted England crash out: “why couldn’t they play like they do for their club?” is the question then shouted at TVs in pubs up and down the country. Playing for a club which is unpopular with other fans doesn’t help your case either – the glee when Mount misplaced a pass in the first half last night was almost more intense than the joy when he scored later on to silence his critics.
So while we’re delighted to see that Mason has made the breakthrough, we do worry about how being an England regular (and potential scapegoat) could affect his form at Chelsea. We love him taking more and more responsibility at every level as he gets older, but the last thing we need is him carrying the dreadful burden of a group stage exit with his country, on top of the punishing extra minutes that add up, season after season.