Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has dismissed criticism of Mason Mount after their Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham.
Mount missed the crucial 10th penalty in Tuesday's Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Tottenham and he has come in for criticism from a section of Chelsea fans.
The midfielder, who played 53 games for Chelsea last season, has played every minute of every match this season and Lampard has been accused of favouritism towards him.
Lampard said: “There is a fascination with Mason. He is homegrown and a young player who has come in and got regularly into the team. I understand sometimes that when you are homegrown and young, there can be elements of people who look at that and ask questions as to why he is playing so many games.
"What will overcome everything is Mason's talent and attitude. Mason is a humble lad who has had a dream to play for Chelsea. The thing that makes him so special is he has gone and attacked that dream and made it through pure hard work.
“What he has done is exceptional and there is a lot more to come from Mason. That is the great thing about working with someone who has that attitude, mindset and qualities. The thing about Mason is he always wants to be better and that is a pleasure to work with. What I want to see is the competition that has arrived, that it makes him raise his levels. Mason has more levels to go up, there is a lot more to come from him.
“He has got faultless attitude in terms of how he approaches the game, and that is what has got him into this position so far. He gets picked regularly in the England squad because I know Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland have absolute respect for how he comes and trains and performs for them.
“I have relied on Mason in the early games this season and I think he was the main factor in us getting back in the game at West Brom with his goal and his input. I rely on him a lot. We need players like Mason Mount, we are fortunate to have players like Mason, who can offer so much. Does it mean he will play 90 minutes every game? Of course not. With the quality we have in forward areas that there may be periods he might not be starting. But as a player, I think it is clear how I see Mason.
“His qualities I have felt since he had a year at me with Derby. When I came to the club we did a lot of work on how we could be good off the ball in high areas of the pitch. To be good off the ball in high and medium areas of the pitch you need triggers and people who are prepared to release a lot of energy and speed to win the ball back. You also need quality on the ball and I think Mason has that."
