‘He’s not a starter’: TalkSPORT pundit claims Chelsea player should be dropped by his country, not good enough

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Former Southampton and Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert has criticised Mason Mount for not taking his opportunity on the international stage.

Lambert was talking to TalkSPORT after England went three games in a row without a win in this Nations League campaign.

Mount has started all three of the fixtures against Hungary, Germany and Italy and has been part of an England attack which have scored just once in 270 minutes, with that being a penalty.

The 23-year-old has 30 caps for his country now, however has never really shown his club form for his nation.

He was on the receiving end of criticism despite a decent performance against Italy, as he came out second best in a running battle with Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Lambert was one of those bashing Mount, saying: “I’m disappointed with some players. He had a couple of chances the other night, you’ve gotta put them away.

“He’s not a starter, he’s not in the 11.”

Gareth Southgate has put a lot of trust in the Chelsea man, with him regularly appearing throughout last year’s European Championships.

Replacing Mount would be a unique challenge, with it being difficult to see a like-for-like replacement in the England squad. Instead, Southgate may need to introduce a more outright attacker such as Phil Foden or Jack Grealish and tweak his system if the change is made.

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Ultimately, Mount just needs a break. He’s been a near-ever present in the Chelsea team this season, a side who reached two domestic cup finals as well as competed for the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

After a draining season, the last thing he needed was potentially four international matches within less than two weeks, where it would be near impossible to be at his best.

Instead of entering panic mode over if Mount is good enough for Qatar this winter, instead make the most of the available talent and try new things, giving Southgate a better idea of what he has to play with. Then decisions on the starting lineup can be made.