"I'm a little bit disappointed" - Pundit claims Mason Mount's exit from Chelsea was a surprise for him

Football pundit and former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet has expressed his disappointment with Mason Mount leaving the Blues.

Manchester United signed Mount on a deal rumored to be worth £55 million plus £5 million in add-ons. The Red Devils provided official confirmation of the Englishman's arrival at Old Trafford last week.

Poyet, who played 143 times for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, spoke about Mount's exit during an interview with online sports gambling company 888sport. He said:

"The problem I got is I like Mason a lot. I thought last year and the previous six months and before Tuchel left, I thought when Mason Mount was at his best, Chelsea was creating a lot and when he was not playing and he was not his best, Chelsea was suffering.

"But when he was playing his best position around the number nine and creating and having the freedom to create, Chelsea was going forward and created chances. And after he disappeared, now we don't know why did he disappear? Because he was on the bench all the time."

Poyet also provided his thoughts on claims that Mount was suffering from an injury for much of last season, saying:

"People say he was not fully fit. Yeah. If you are not fully fit, you are not on the bench every game. And it was most of the time on the bench, but was not playing under Graham Potter and under [interim boss Frank Lampard] as well.

"So that kind of situation, what is not clear doesn't help anyone. So I'm a little bit disappointed that Mason is leaving. And always when he goes to a club, that is a rival with you, it's even worse."

Mount started just 26 times last season (35 appearances overall) and was left on the bench for an entire match only twice. Most of his absences across the campaign have been put down to a pelvic injury, which saw him fail to make the Blues' matchday squad on 13 occasions (via Transfermarkt).

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Mason Mount was a driving force behind Chelsea's recent successes

As mentioned by Gus Poyet, Mason Mount was superb during Thomas Tuchel's reign at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman recorded 19 goals and 20 assists in 87 matches under Tuchel, helping his side win the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Chelsea also made the finals of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the 2021-22 season, losing both to Liverpool on penalties.

Mount enjoyed an excellent stint under club legend Frank Lampard, who gave him his senior Blues debut in 2018, as well. The midfielder played 83 times under Lampard for the Premier League giants in which he scored 11 goals and 12 assists.

Overall, Mount played 195 matches for his boyhood club, recording 33 goals and 37 assists. Still only 24, he will hope to improve those numbers and add to his trophy cabinet under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.