Wayne Rooney wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea forward Mason Mount started for England in the World Cup quarter-final against France.
Writing for the Times, Rooney suggested that Gareth Southgate may well turn to his trusted servant for the potentially epic clash with the reigning world champions later today.
Mount has begun on the bench for his nation’s previous two games at the tournament, having started the opening two.
The 23-year-old was dropped for the final group match against Wales, a decision that turned out to be justified.
Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden were included in the XI ahead of Mount, and the pair hailing from Manchester both etched their names on to the score sheet that night.
Foden retained his place in the 11 for the round of 16 showdown with Senegal, whilst Rashford was rather unfairly replaced by Bukayo Saka.
Southgate’s changes were once again vindicated, thanks to Foden’s two assists on the day.
Will Mason Mount make the World Cup QF?
England’s manager now has a major decision to make ahead of the France fixture: does he stick with Foden, recall Rashford or look to Mount as he’s done in the past?
“Marcus Rashford could come into Gareth’s thinking and it would not be the biggest surprise to me if he turned to Mason Mount, because of his work rate and the fact he does more against the ball than Saka and Foden,” declared Rooney.
However, the legendary striker turned DC United manager had fears that Mount’s possible inclusion might actually be detrimental rather than desirable.
“A positive selection would give them a positive message. If he brings Mount in, or makes other changes to put more workers into the line-up, I fear the impact it could have on the rest of the lads,” he continued.
“I have nothing against Mount by the way, who is a top player with many talents and a lot of energy. I just think Saka, Foden and Rashford are more explosive.”
It would certainly be a different dynamic with Chelsea’s number 19 involved this evening.
Whilst his press from the front might scare France into making mistakes, he doesn’t quite possess the penetration like the names mentioned by Rooney.
He’s certainly a brilliant option to bring on if the tie needs that spark of life, however.
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