Mason Mount has been the pick of all the talented young players at Chelsea this season, according to former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
Boss Frank Lampard put his faith in numerous academy graduates this term, including Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, and Reece James.
Several other of the club’s young stars have also featured with Christian Pulisic, Andreas Christensen, Billy Gilmour, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all playing a part as the Blues ensured a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and Champions League qualification by beating Wolves 2-0 on Sunday.
But Mount, who scored eight goals in 51 appearances for the club, caught the eye for Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer Wright.
Wright said on Match Of The Day: “You have to mention Tammy Abraham, who has got 15 goals this season, but Mason Mount has been the outstanding youngster that has kicked in.
“Christian Pulisic gets a mention too but what Mason has done since the start of the season til now has to recognised. He has been absolutely magnificent.”
Fellow pundit, former England striker Alan Shearer, said Lampard’s achievement in guiding Chelsea to a top-four spot and next week’s FA Cup final against Arsenal has been “unbelievable”.
The Blues were unable to sign players because of a transfer ban and also sold star player Eden Hazard.
Shearer said: “Imagine if they win the FA Cup next weekend too.
“When he took over he sold his best player, he couldn’t sign any players and had to bring in a lot of youngsters to the team – and a lot of them have performed.
“He has had to rely on a lot of the old guard. He brought Olivier Giroud back into the team and he has done well and I don’t think they had a top-class goalkeeper either.
“So when you put all that that into the mix, it could be an unbelievable season.”