Joe Cole says England are lucky to have Mason Mount and Phil Foden in their squad and has backed the young stars to shine during the Champions League Final.
Foden and Mount have both been named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for the European Championship this summer and are expected to make the final 26, too.
The pair have both enjoyed brilliant seasons and are now set to go head to head on Saturday night when Chelsea take on Manchester City in the Champions League Final in Porto.
Cole knows all about Mount as he worked with the midfielder while the latter was coming through the Chelsea academy.
The former England winger believes the 22-year-old is destined for the top and has also heaped praise on Foden.
“First of all, they are both incredible players,” said Cole. “I have been fortunate enough to work with Mason in the academy and spend some time with him so I have seen up close how good he is.
“Phil I have admired for many, many years from watching him play for England Under-17s. They are both peas in a pod in the sense they have everything - they can dribble, they can find the killer pass, they attack and play in multiple positions.
“I think they are a shoo-in, the pair of them, to start for Gareth and I think they will be pivotal parts. We are lucky to have them and it’s great to go into a Champions League Final with all these great players on the pitch - and two of the brightest sparks on the pitch are two technically-gifted England players.
“It shows how far we have come with our academy system, the way things are done. It’s brilliant they’re both English.
“They’re both great players, we shouldn’t compare and we should just be privileged they are both English and they’re going to do some damage together at the Euros, I’m pretty sure of that.”
Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has also been impressed by the duo and thinks they will form a lethal partnership for England at this summer’s Euros.
“Phil is probably more comfortable going past players, Mason enjoys a responsibility a bit deeper in the team,” he said.
“But they compliment each other, I can see them playing alongside each other and bouncing off each other for England.
“Hopefully that is the case. I don’t see it is a negative in the way we viewed [Frank] Lampard and [Steven] Gerrard, it is the total opposite scenario.
“They can compliment each other. This generation play with an effortless and a fearless mentality that I haven’t seen before.
“Going back to talent, we can all see that. But knowing the mindset of Phil, wanting to be the best he can be every day, I haven’t seen that in many players, if any.
“We have seen the talent and we know how good he is, how he impacts on games, but the desire to improve every day, that is a big skill.”
