Gabby Agbonlahor shares whether he’d start Mason Mount in England’s World Cup opener

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Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed he would pick Chelsea’s Mason Mount to start for England against Iran on Monday.

England kickstart their World Cup campaign next week by facing Iran. Elsewhere in Group B, the United States will play against Wales.

Mount, along with Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher, are the Chelsea representatives in the Three Lions squad for this World Cup tournament. Will Gareth Southgate pick any to start the opening game, though?

Mount, who has 32 senior international caps for England, is usually a favourite under Southgate.

There’s no denying the 23-year-old attacking midfielder is still trying to rediscover his top form this season, though.

Mason Mount against Iran

TalkSPORT pundit Agbonlahor has stated Mount would be in his England line-up for Monday afternoon.

“Midfield I will have Bellingham and Rice. I’d probably have Rice as a sitter and push Bellingham up with Mason Mount so that Mount and Bellingham fly forward,” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT.

However, he couldn’t find room for 27-year-old Blues winger Sterling in the starting XI.

“The left-hand side is a tough one. Sterling. Foden. Grealish. Rashford. If you’re going off current form, it would have to be Phil Foden. He’s the perfect option there,” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT.

The experience and know-how of Mount could give him an edge in his quest to start for England.

Chelsea’s creative playmaker can do a great job as the more advanced individual in a midfield trio, with the prospect of putting him alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham quite exciting.

For Graeme Souness, he recently said he would pick James Maddison ahead of Mount in the England XI. In fairness, that’s understandable when you look at form.

Mount has shown regularly during his career so far that he comes out firing when he faces any criticism, so it’s a really exciting prospect to see what he can do in Qatar.

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