Gianfranco Zola thinks Mason Mount has “become a complete player” at Chelsea after their Champions League triumph over Manchester City on Saturday.
England midfielder Mount’s excellent through-ball set up Kai Havertz for the game’s only goal in the first half at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto.
Chelsea had beaten newly-crowned Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid in the knockout stages en-route to the final.
Just announce England squad now; it makes no difference anyway
Mount, the Chelsea fan who came through the club’s academy, has had a brilliant season at the club, scoring nine goals and creating seven assists in all competitions.
And Zola has been impressed with him all campaign but was full of praise after Chelsea became European champions over the weekend.
Zola told talkSPORT: “He’s become a complete player. He can attack, he can score, he can assist and defend.
“This is necessary in modern football. Before, if you were able to score goals you could do that, but now if you want to be successful you have to work so hard. We saw that the other day [in the Champions League final].”
Havertz was brilliant against City in the final after spending much of the season getting to grips with his new surroundings.
And Zola is pleased that the German playmaker is starting to prove people wrong, he added:”Kai gave us a surprise the other day.
“Nobody has ever doubted his qualities in terms of technique and intelligence. Maybe we thought he was not finding his right position on the pitch and wasn’t affecting the game as much.
“He proved people wrong because he performed so well for the team. This position suits him and suits Chelsea very much.”
Meanwhile, Mount claimed Chelsea could now call themselves the best team in the world following their Champions League final win.
Mount told BT Sport: “I’ve dreamt as a kid of going all the way, making a final and winning it. That’s what this cup’s all about.
“I’ve been there as a kid, now to go all the way in the Champions League, through some tough games – we’ve played some top teams – and now we’re in a final and we’ve won, it’s such a special occasion.
“At this moment in time, we’re the best team in the world and you can’t take that away from us.”
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