Chelsea FC winger Mason Mount feels his occasional captaincy at London-based English Premier League club will further help him to develop his leadership skills.
The 22-year-old, who became the Blues' youngest Player of the Year, has blossomed under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel this term, with the reward of the armband for the FA Cup clash with Luton in January.
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"I have had the captain's armband twice now and that gives me extra confidence," the winger told Chelsea's official website. "I have that belief that I am doing well but I can also get even better. That is something as a player that you need to really improve."
"I am learning more and more about that role. I had it when I was a bit younger in the youth teams where I was captain a couple of times."
Like John Terry, Mount captained the Blues for the first time within days of his 21st birthday back in January. The skipper of an FA Youth Cup-winning side in his Academy days, the armband itself was not a novel accessory for him but his style of leadership has noticeably evolved over the past five years.
{{/usCountry}}Like John Terry, Mount captained the Blues for the first time within days of his 21st birthday back in January. The skipper of an FA Youth Cup-winning side in his Academy days, the armband itself was not a novel accessory for him but his style of leadership has noticeably evolved over the past five years.
{{/usCountry}}"I am learning more and more about that role,' he says of developing as a leader. 'I had it when I was a bit younger in the youth teams where I was captain a couple of times and leading the boys to a Youth Cup was special. I learnt a lot from that so now coming to this season, I can bring that experience I have had in the past and use it but also add things to it as well."
"When you reach the senior game, you can still be someone that leads by example but you cannot just be that. You need to bring more to the team and as a captain at a big club like this, to have that personality around the boys really helps. You need that with a team like this, to lead them when games are tough, to really step up and be a big player, so that'= is something I'= have learnt as well to add to my game."
Since making his debut at Old Trafford in August 2019, Mount has made a staggering 123 appearances for club and country. No Chelsea player featured in more games or racked up more minutes than the academy graduate this term.
After two seasons with Chelsea, Mount already has a Player of the Year award and a Champions League winners' medal yet the general feeling is the ceiling is so much higher for this popular perfectionist.