The curious case of Mason Mount. It doesn't matter if it's for his club, Chelsea, or for his country, England, there always seems to be plenty of division around Mount.
One thing, though, cannot be denied: the 23-year-old has struggled in the early stages of the 2022/23 season. Mount has scored just twice in the Premier League for Chelsea this term, with only two assists to his name as well.
This is a man who has won the Chelsea Player of the Season award two years on the bounce. Mount, in that regard, is a victim of his own success.
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It cannot be a coincidence that Mount seems to be a favourite of every manager he's worked under. Starting under Frank Lampard, the Cobham graduate quickly established himself as an integral part of the Chelsea side that claimed fourth place in 2019/20 under a transfer ban.
Lampard was then relieved of his duties and Mount's position in the Chelsea was then questioned. Thomas Tuchel, in his first match as Chelsea head coach against Wolves, started Mount on the bench. Many were wondering whether the England international would have the same sort of role under Tuchel.
However, Tuchel quickly became a huge fan of Mount and he continued to be a crucial cog in the Blues' XI. That remained the same throughout the German's tenure and in stepped Graham Potter – and so far, albeit in a very short time, he continues to be one of the first names on the team sheet for Chelsea.
It's been a familiar tale for England under Gareth Southgate. Mount has made 32 appearances under Southgate for the Three Lions in all competitions, with 22 of them coming from the start. Only 11 players have made more during Southgate's time in charge of his country.
Mount hasn't started the World Cup in great fashion, however. The Chelsea star has started both of England's games against Iran and the United States so far but has failed to make too much of an impression in either.
In fact, outspoken talkSPORT pundit and former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor labelled Mount's performance against the USA as "so poor". "I was frustrated watching it just how poor Mason Mount was," Agbonlahor explained.
"I do like Mason Mount, I do feel people can get on his back, but he was so poor all game, and he looked like he had energy. He didn't look like one of the players who was tired.
"He was running after defenders, running after the goalkeeper, but everything he was doing was wrong. His passing was wrong, his decision-making was wrong. And you've got a player like Phil Foden there, just bring him on."
England take on Wales this evening in their final group match of the World Cup. The Three Lions know if they win, they will finish as group winners and if they draw, they will also qualify.
If Iran do not beat USA and England draw, then Southgate's men will finish as winners of the group. So, at this stage, it seems unlikely that England will fail to qualify, but it's still a crucial match as it always is against rivals Wales.
Whether or not Mount starts remains to be seen with Phil Foden surely set to be handed a chance this evening. If Foden starts and Mount is benched, then it could be really bad news for the Chelsea attacker. Foden may have the opportunity to show Southgate why he should be picked ahead of Mount for the remainder of the tournament, should England reach the Round of 16, of course.
While all of this is going on, there is unwanted background noise regarding Mount's contract. football.london understands the former Derby County loanee has been offered new terms to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge, but the length of the contract brought to his attention are proving to be a sticking point.
There is a hesitancy on Mount's side to commit to a six or seven-year contract at this stage of his career. Mount's current deal at Chelsea is due to expire in the summer of 2024 and discussions over extending his stay have been constant behind the scenes so far this season.
No matter how Mount performs this evening against Wales, there will be division on social media. Some will say he's bad even if he scored a hat-trick and some will say he's brilliant even if he fails to complete a pass all game. What really matters to Mount is what his manager thinks of him and tonight could be crucial for the rest of his World Cup.
"It's such a big game, the rivalry between the two teams, and the intensity of the match that it's going to be," Mount said. "It's not just us as players, it's the fans as well.
"It's a very important game for both teams. We need a result to win the group, and they also need a result. These are the games you want to play in."
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