Declan Rice has come to a staunch defence of Mason Mount as the Chelsea midfielder continues to be the centre of social media discourse and criticism. Mount is part of the England squad in Qatar for the World Cup but was replaced in the final group game by Jordan Henderson after starting the first two.
His place under Gareth Southgate has rarely been in question having been a standout player for Chelsea over the last two years, but his dry spell at club level has once again seen him under the microscope. Although club managers have universally used Mount - almost regardless of goalscoring form - his position remains misunderstood, says Rice.
Speaking ahead of England's last-16 match against Senegal, Rice came to the defence of his childhood friend, saying, “I don’t need to talk too much about Mase. He probably just doesn’t fit the agenda of what people want an attacking midfield player to look like in this day and age."
