The fighting spirit inherited from his boxing grandfather helped Mason Mount see off the challenge to his Chelsea place from new signings Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech.
Mount made 53 appearances for the Blues last season, missing out just once in the Premier League.
There were fears Mount would be reduced to a bit-part player when the club splashed out £100million last summer on high-profile signings Havertz and Ziyech.
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But despite the extra competition at Stamford Bridge, Mount remained a key player for former manager Frank Lampard before his sacking in January. He has also proved a vital member of new boss Thomas Tuchel’s squad, starting eight of his ten Premier League games.
His father Tony said he was never in any doubt his son would rise to the challenge, with the talk of being sidelined proving extra motivation.
“He saw the players coming in as a massive challenge,” Tony told talkSPORT. “People were saying he would lose his place and he was aware of that.
“Mason’s attitude was brilliant. He thought Chelsea were bringing quality into the club and he’s desperate to win things. ‘He didn’t look at that as anything other than good for the club, good for the team, and a challenge for him.
“I remember talking to him about it and he said, ‘They won’t take my place, I’ll raise my game’.”
Such has been Mount’s influence at Stamford Bridge, the England international has been tipped up as a future Chelsea captain by the likes of Jamie Redknapp and John Terry.
It is something he had a brief taste of when the Blues met Luton in the FA Cup and an assessment Tony Mount agrees with wholeheartedly.
“He has got that in him,” Mount said. “For him to be made captain by Frank Lampard for the Luton game was a massive honour. He just cherished it.
“That’s bred in him from a competitive point of view and the way he was brought up. He’s a Portsmouth boy, his grandad was a boxer and went to every game. ‘I took him with me to non-league football, so he’s seen the other side of it and can look after himself.”
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