has backed to become a ‘fantastic player’ for but admits he wanted him to remain at Chelsea.
following a breakdown in talks over a new contract with Chelsea.
The England international, who was one of Erik ten Hag’s top targets for the summer transfer window, was given his senior debut for Chelsea by Lampard, who also managed him during a season-long loan at Derby County in the Championship.
And Lampard, who briefly worked with Mount again during his stint as caretaker manager at Chelsea at the end of last season, believes the 24-year-old will raise his game at United.
‘I think it’s a great signing,’ Lampard said on .
‘I think it’s a complicated one and in the end he’s got a year left on his contract [with ].
‘What I would say about Mason is, all the things I’ve spoken about, you talk about modern players and how the game’s changed, he is a throwback to the attitude and the commitment, and the quality.
‘That was the beauty of working with Mason, he gave you so much in terms of his effort every day, anything you’d ask him to do, yeah, he kind of got it.
‘I think any great player has to have that kind of intelligence and that desire about them. Like, ‘what do you need me to do?’, yeah, I’ve got it, I’ll do it and I’ll repeat it, and also quality.
‘So in terms of what he’ll bring to Manchester United, it won’t just be what Mason brings, he will bring loads of talent, but he’s just going to go [up] and [raise] levels.
‘Don’t get me wrong, the bar raise is already there with Bruno Fernandes, [Marcus] Rashford, Casemiro… he will absolutely fit in with it.
‘If you’re trying to build, a group mentality of a team, players who are just going to give everything with their talent, he fits it.
‘I’ve seen alternative reaction to what, ‘why would you pay that for him?’, Mason Mount is going to be a fantastic player there, in my opinion.’
Asked why Mount is leaving, Lampard replied: ‘I think probably Mason would have envisaged two years ago that he would stay at Chelsea for a lot of his career.
‘I just think circumstances, his contract situation, I know he’s got a big love for Chelsea.
‘Also in the modern day, I think more than even in my day, players do move, and I don’t think the challenge of moving now it’s come to that, for Mason personally, it’s a good challenge for him, I would’ve liked to have seen him stay at Chelsea because I think he would’ve been central to it but it didn’t happen.’
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