Chelsea legend Ashley Cole says he is “not surprised” by the series of excellent performances from Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori at Derby County.
The 38-year-old, who signed for the Rams this week, praised the development of the pair following their respective contributions the team’s promotion push thus far.
As reported by Derbyshire Live, Cole said:
Every pre-season when I was at LA, I would come back to England and train with the kids at Chelsea. I could see they had a lot of talent, but not just the talent – they wanted to work hard.
They stayed after training and worked on their weaknesses, and it was probably just a matter of time before they got a chance. They have come here (to Derby) and got their chance, and they are performing to a standard they should be.
It is not a surprise. This is the minimum standard they should be performing at.
Mount, 20, has excelled under former Blue Frank Lampard, making 31 appearances this season. Scoring six goals and assisting three, the player has enjoyed his debut season in the Championship, becoming pivotal to Derby’s sixth-place position.
Meanwhile, Fikayo Tomori, 21, has equally impressed at Derby. Matching Mount regarding appearances, the player has been as vital to Lampard’s defence as the playmaker is to the club’s attack.
Despite scoring an own goal in a 3-2 loss against his parent club in the Carabao Cup recently, the defender has continued to shine for the Rams.
With 62 appearances between them, Derby and Chelsea, too, will be hoping that their good form continues as they push for promotion to the Premier League.
