West Ham United and England star Declan Rice has heaped praise on Chelsea’s Mason Mount ahead of England’s World Cup clash with the United States of America.
The pair lined up together in midfield alongside Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham for England’s World Cup opening victory against Iran, and are expected to continue in an unchanged lineup against the USA.
Speaking on England’s Twitter Diary Room, Rice praised both players and explained why he liked the balance the trio had in midfield.
“Playing with Jude (Bellingham) and Mason (Mount) is special.
“They’re obviously two top talents in the world, we’ve all got different aspects that we’re really good at,” Rice claimed.
On Mount, Rice added that “he’s always going to be in pockets, and go forward and do what he does best.”
TIF thoughts on Rice and Mount
Rice has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea to play alongside Mount, and with just over a year remaining on his contract, a summer transfer may be on the cards.
The 23-year-old is valued at around £68m as per TransferMarkt, and a big fee would be required to land the West Ham star.
The two would link up well should he make the move to Stamford Bridge, as they have already shown a good understanding with each other, and the pair possess a lot of quality.
Mount has been in mixed form, with two goals and six assists in 21 appearances this season, but looked confident and assured against Iran and is set to keep his England place ahead of the likes of James Maddison and Phil Foden.