Potter gives his verdict on Chelsea contract rebel’s international call up

Graham Potter expresses his surprise at the inclusion of Mason Mount in the England squad

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has expressed his surprise at the inclusion of Mason Mount in the England squad for the upcoming games this month.

Mount has missed the last three games due to an abdomen issue. Potter confirmed in the press conference that he has not recovered yet and will miss the Everton game because of that as well.

The Blues boss also added that the 24-year-old won’t be going to the England camp to face Italy and Ukraine later this month. Keeping that in mind, it is weird that Gareth Southgate decided to pick him in the squad.

Here’s what Potter said when asked if he was surprised by Southgate’s decision (h/t Daily Mail):

“Yeah [I was surprised to see him named]. Probably, as a club we will [seek clarity about why he was].

“He needed a bit of time for his injury to settle down, which pretty much ruled him out of the England thing.

“Whether that means they needed a bit of time to double-check that, I don’t know. But I don’t think there’s anything untoward at all.”

Generally, national team managers have close contact with club managers to have detailed information about the players. Whether there was a lack of communication that led to this confusion, we won’t know about that.

But, it was good for Potter to clear that Mount is not fit to go with the England squad. It gives out a succinct message that Southgate was wrong in picking the 24-year-old in the first place.

We have done well without the star player in the last three games though, winning all of them. Not saying that he was the problem when the team was going through a rough patch, but his form wasn’t good.

Despite all the momentum created, the game against Everton won’t be easy. Sean Dyche’s men are fighting for every point in the league for their survival. Although the Toffees will miss the presence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front, they have other threats going forward, while the set-piece threat is always there.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea not keen to sign Denis Zakaria permanently in the summer
• Graham Potter enchants Chelsea fans Champions League assurance
• Wesley Fofana claims Chelsea star Mykhaylo Mudryk is quicker than Kylian Mbappe

Hence, Chelsea cannot take things for granted and play their best game to beat the team from Merseyside.