Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has revealed his conversation with West Ham United man Declan Rice after making his debut for England against Bulgaria on Saturday.
The well-known best friends shared the pitch at Wembley in the 4-0 victory, with Mount making his full debut when coming off the bench in the second-half for Gareth Southgate’s side.
Speaking to the Daily Star though, the Chelsea starlet shared how it was straight down to business alongside Rice, who was fully concentrated on the football before a warm embrace.
“The first thing he said was to mark someone,” Mount said.
“After that, we calmed down, I looked at him, he looked at me and we were just smiling at each other.”
“Just that recognition we were on the same pitch together again.”
The 20-year-old Hammers’ enforcer started his career with Mount at Chelsea before being released and making the short switch to East London.
OPINION
Rice was brilliant for England against Bulgaria and his no-nonsense approach was highlighted once Mount entered the pitch. The 20-year-old simply ordered his friend to get down to business and not get found out of position by marking his man. Rice’s display at Wembley would have been exemplary for Mount to follow after the youngster made 95 passes in the game, with Kieran Trippier the only player to complete more with 98 passes in the game [Source: WhoScored]. Rice also completed an impressive four tackles and three dribbles in the game, as he finished the encounter with a 97% pass success rate on top of that [Source: WhoScored]. Mount will have been watching his childhood friend in awe of his performance, knowing he will be in good hands when entering the game late on. The more relaxed a player can be when in the heart of your team the better, and Southgate will have been delighted by the impact both Rice and Mount have had for their country so far.
