Extract - A Guardian Piece on Mason M

I print it in full because :-
a, It's international break time. and
b, it's hard to find otherwise.

Mason Mount’s parents have been consistent with their advice to the young Chelsea midfielder. “They always say to me: ‘Just focus on what you do on the pitch. Anything else you don’t need to look at,’" he says.
Easier said than done when Frank Lampard and England coaches all the way up to Gareth Southgate are championing your cause, although it is testament to the 19-year-old’s character and ability that he has heeded the family instruction. It should stand him in good stead.
Little appears to have fazed the exciting prospect on a career path that has included a call-up to train with England’s World Cup squad in May, 14 goals for Vitesse Arnhem last season, four goals for Derby this season and now a first step up to Aidy Boothroyd’s under-21s squad. A first cap is expected when England play the Netherlands in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier at Carrow Road on Thursday.
Last week Mount was mentioned by Southgate as one of the Championship players under consideration for senior England honours. It was not a back-handed compliment reflecting the small pool of English talent operating at the highest level, he insisted. “His level of progression is fine," the England manager said. “He is a player we really like and because of his first-team experiences he is going to progress faster than others who maybe aren’t getting those experiences. He is also of the mentality we like – he’s a super kid."
Mount comes across as grounded, intelligent and thoughtful at St George’s Park. Driven, too. “Eighteen was very young to be going out on loan to Vitesse but I think it was the perfect time," says the attacking midfielder, who rejected an offer from his boyhood club Portsmouth to join Chelsea’s academy as a six-year-old.
“It gave me more confidence. This summer there were options in Germany or I could have gone back to Holland but, for me, I went away and wanted to come back and show what I can do. I wanted to test myself in the Championship. People say it is one of the toughest leagues in the world and you are playing so much, I just wanted to test myself.
“I didn’t want to spend another year playing at under-23 level when I had the chance to get out and play professionally in a top league and get as many minutes as I can. The Championship is a massive league and it is tough. You play twice a week and going from the Dutch league where you play once a week it is a massive change. You are learning all the time and I just wanted to play as much as I can in this league and test myself in England."
The hype around young English prospects has centred on Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho but, while their appearances have been limited at Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund respectively this season, Mount’s regular displays for Derby earned him the under-21s’ promotion instead. He was in the FA’s thoughts in May too, when invited to train with Southgate’s squad prior to their departure for Russia.

“It was 11.30 at night, a couple of days before a game," Mount says, “and I got a call from my under-19s manager [Keith Downing] and I didn’t answer it because I was about to go to sleep. Then I got a call from the academy manager at Chelsea and thought: ‘I wonder what is going on here?’ So I called my dad and asked if he knew anything, he said no and told me to call them back. My England Under-19s manager said: ‘Gareth Southgate wants you to come in and train for four days before the start of the World Cup.’ It was quite a surreal thing to hear and an unbelievable experience for me."
The Chelsea connection came into play this summer when Lampard, assisted at Derby by Jody Morris, won a crowded race for Mount’s signature on a season-long loan.
“He is really good. I’m always speaking to him," Mount says, “and, being an attacking midfielder, I couldn’t learn off anyone bigger or better than him. He is someone I have always looked at and tried to take parts of his game and introduce them into mine.
“He has told me that, when I get in and around the final third, be calm in my finishing, don’t snatch at any shots and try to pick a corner. This season is going to be tough for me with playing so many games but I just want to play as many professional games as I can in a tough league. The main goal for me is Chelsea. I want to play in their first team."