Frank Lampard hails Ashley Cole impact at Derby County and tips Mason Mount to be Chelsea and England star
Frank Lampard has hailed the impact of former teammate Ashley Cole at Derby County.The former Chelsea duo reunited at Pride Park this season after Lampard signed Cole from LA Galaxy on a deal until the end of the season.Now 38, ex-England ace Cole has admitted he is likely to retire at the end of the season, but his contributions remain invaluable to his one-time club and international teammate
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4Ashley Cole has shown incredible hunger and desire at Derby CountySpeaking on Drivetime with Adrian Durham and Darren Gough, the Chelsea legend admitted the influence of having a fellow Champions League winner in the dressing room has been a huge help.He said: In terms of being a winner and being around the block and bringing an experience to the group and we are quite a young group in a lot of ways this year.I just felt that, not just playing-wise because Ashley is always going to be helpful to me playing-wise, but the way he is as someone who is going to help us.And its been that way his work ethic has rubbed off instantly on the players.
4Cole and Frank Lampard won a plethora of trophies during their time at ChelseaFor the players to see someone who has won the lot, but be humble, be first in at training and working on his game by putting pressure on himself day in and day out.And then to be vocal in team meetings and speak the truth and stand up and say things in front of people has been brilliant for me to have a player that can send that message to the players.So thats been great and Ive enjoyed working with him in that sense and its not been a problem the transition from playing together and then him being a player while Im managing.Cole is very much the veteran in a Derby side bristling with talented young players.After his appointment in the summer, Lampard moved to inject more energy and pace into his squad and he is hopeful it will pay off this season, with County sitting seventh and battling for a play-off spot in the Championship.“We had a group which was pretty old in terms of average age. That is not necessarily a bad thing but it felt to me the right thing to do was to try and invest in youth, whether that is loans or academy players coming through or players we could bring in,” he said.“The energy we brought in has been great for us.”One of Derby’s most impressive performers this season has been Mason Mount, the 20-year-old midfielder on loan from Chelsea.
4Mason Mount is starring for Derby in the Championship this seasonMount has already been called up to the senior England side and Lampard is convinced he is heading to the very top.“In the modern day, he has got every box ticked in terms of his attributes,” said the Chelsea legend.“This year has been a great learning curve for him in the Championship, which is a tough league.“What he does give is a real energy off the ball. His energy and desire to win the ball back is brilliant and then when you talk about the talent he has, he has everything to go right to the top. “The England call-up he got will come again. His attitude and hunger is something that really pleases me.“He is absolutely desperate to succeed, every day the way he trains he wants to improve.“My aim is to send him back to Chelsea and go ‘there you go, you are one or two or three steps closer to their first team”.”Derby are in with a real shot of promotion in Lampard’s first season at the helm, with a play-off spot in reach.“I’m excited and obviously nervous to a degree,” he continued.“I’m pleased with where we are at. We are in a decent position.
4Can Frank Lampard lead Derby County to promotion?“It has been a bit of a transitional year for many reasons and obviously my first year.“It is not quite in our hands, but to say we have ten games to have a real crack at this and try and get in the play-offs and have a real go at going up will not be just great for myself but great for this group players and great for the fans here because they have had ten years out of the Premier League now and are absolutely desperate.“Mel Morris deserves a shout out because he has invested so heavily in this club for the last few years with all the intention of getting us up because he cares for the club and is a fan and it hasn’t quite happened.“We have got ten games to try and make it happen.”
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