‘Shows on their face’: Wayne Rooney thinks 23-year-old Chelsea player absolutely loves playing for his country

Add as preferred source on Google

Wayne Rooney thinks it’s uplifting to see how much Mason Mount enjoys playing for England.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Rooney remarked on the passion the Chelsea midfielder demonstrates when pulling on the Three Lions jersey.

Mount will have the chance to don the famous white strip once again in a few weeks, with the World Cup right around the corner.

The 23-year-old made Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad, just over 12 months after featuring at the European Championships.

Southgate has installed great trust in the Cobham academy scholar since presenting him with a maiden senior cap in 2019.

He will be able to build upon his 32 appearances in Qatar, with a World Cup debut on the horizon.

England means a lot to Mount

Emotions must be running high in Mount’s mind, but Rooney reassured him to revel in the moment.

“Just enjoy it. Of course, there’s pressure playing for your country and you want to do well,” said England’s record goal-scorer.

“I think what’s really refreshing now is the likes of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, you can see how much they love playing for England.

“It shows on their face. I think they all love being there.”

Mount, Rice and Bellingham not only offer a youthful exuberance to the camp, but a fearless quality heading into the competition.

Although none have ever played at a World Cup, their experience both at club and international level goes beyond their years.

Each featured at the Euros last summer, and are well into and beyond the 100 mark for domestic games.

Adding the likes of James Maddison and Conor Gallagher to the midfield, Southgate’s squad has the quality to reach the latter stages of the competition once again.