Bruno Saltor explains why he didn’t Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount in draw against Liverpool
Interim Chelsea manager Bruno Saltor says he doesn’t want to rush Mason Mount into games as the player recently recovered from an injury. The Englishman did not feature for us in the goalless league draw against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge earlier this week.
Mount has not featured for Chelsea after the Blues’ 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on 26 February. Since then, Graham Potter has gotten himself sacked and Bruno is the interim manager for the time being.
But Mount’s future at West London is also unclear because the 24-year-old has not yet extended his contract, which expires in 2024, (Transfermarkt).
Liverpool are eager to sign the England international for the upcoming campaign since negotiations with Chelsea to extend Mount’s contract have not yet yielded a conclusion.
Although Saltor has stated he will not push the 24-year-old into games after recovering from an injury, the player will undoubtedly get some playing time in the closing stages of the campaign.
The midfielder, who was in the team for Liverpool’s encounter, was left as an unused substituted, and when questioned why (h/t Mirror), Saltor responded:
“He was available, but he’s coming back from an injury. It’s always challenging to bring players back from injury. He can play in different positions. He’s a great player. We love him. He’s a leader. He loves the club. You can see he’s an important player for us. He will have minutes for sure with anyone.”
Mount is still crucial to the team, regardless of his contract issue, and the club should continue to utilise him through the end of the campaign. And with Chelsea’s players struggling to produce goals this season, his participation could also help the club in scoring goals given he was our second-best goal-scorer last season behind Romelu Lukaku, tallying double figures in 32 Premier League appearances.
He could also be used with Joao Felix, as both are excellent technical players and opportunity-makers, who could score goals and feed Kai Havertz. Of course, a win would have been a better result against Liverpool but a draw and a clean sheet wasn’t a bad return given the problems at the club right now.
More Chelsea News:
- Liverpool are ready to offer Mason Mount the wages he is seeking at Chelsea
- Julian Nagelsmann favourite to replace Graham Potter as Chelsea manager
- Glen Johnson
Moreover, it is an added bonus that Liverpool didn’t get to see Mount give out an audition in SW6 ahead of a potential summer move. Hopefully, Saltor will utilise him against Wolves on April 8th, giving him playing time and ensuring that he is match-fit for the crucial Champions League match against Real Madrid.
