Mason Mount has regularly been one of the first names on Gareth Southgate's teamsheet for England, and has been tipped to continue his impressive form despite criticism from some quarters.
The Chelsea man has been a regular for club and country since breaking through at Stamford Bridge. He was a big part of the Blues squad which won the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel in 2021, before helping his national side reach the final of the European Championships that same summer.
That hasn't stopped some critics taking aim, though, with the 23-year-old appearing to gain teacher's pet status among some. However, former England international Adam Lallana - another man to garner such a reputation in the past - doesn't see that as a bad thing.
Writing for The Times, Lallana praised Mount's role in Jude Bellingham's goal for England on Monday. "It shows real tactical understanding," the 34-year-old said.
"That is why he is a manager’s dream. The glamorous selection by England would have been to play Phil Foden as a No 10 alongside Bukayo Saka and [Raheem] Sterling, but picking Mount was another of the calls Gareth Southgate got exactly right.
"He implements on the pitch what Southgate wants from his team and he will be doing that at Chelsea too. When Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool in October 2015, I tried to do that, just as I am now under Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton. That can earn you the tag of teacher’s pet, but it is a compliment."
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While Mount remains a regular for club and country, Chelsea's struggles have seen him attract some criticism. After starting slowly under Thomas Tuchel, the London side still sit outside the Premier League's top four with Graham Potter in charge.
The midfielder recently admitted to receiving stick from his club teammates over multiple man of the match awards. "The lads have been battering me the last couple of games I’ve got man of the match as they don’t think I deserved it, but today I don’t think I deserve it," he said after the Champions League group stage victory over Dinamo Zagreb.
Lallana spoke a bit more about the criticism of a man who is still two years younger than the former Liverpool star was when he made his England debut. He pointed to Mount's Champions League final assist and his goal against Germany in September as evidence of his on-field contribution at a time when some are asking questions.
"Sometimes I will hear comments around Mount such as, 'What does he do?'" Lallana continued. "Perhaps that is based on judging players solely by goals and assists. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but that is complete rubbish in my book. I think he would improve any team in the world."
