Mason Mount has claimed that him and Jack Grealish can play in Gareth Southgate's England side together, and denied the idea he is 'teacher's pet.'
Southgate has come in for criticism for continuing to not call on Grealish, with the Aston Villa star only making two appearances for the national team so far and only one start, in a friendly against Wales. Some have even suggested the manager has an agenda against the player.
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Whilst Grealish continues to struggle for game time for the Three Lions, Mount is clearly one of the manager's preferred starters and has already got 10 caps at the age of just 21.
The pair have been compared in the eyes of many fans, and they'd rather Grealish played, but the Chelsea midfielder believes there's room for both in the starting XI.
"I'd never look at it as a rivalry. We are two different players and we do different things. We are kind of different players. We can play in different roles.
"Jack? You know what he can do. He's a world-class player that can create and score goals and that's what we need in any England team.
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"There are different players in this squad who can play in different positions.
"That is the kind of squad that has been picked. Players that can be played in higher positions and in deeper positions, so, the comparisons [with Grealish] are not just there, I don't think."
There has been a suggestion that the former Derby County loanee gets in the side ahead of the Villa captain due to being a favourite of the manager and a 'teacher's pet.'
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Mount played at every age group for the national team whilst Grealish played for Republic of Ireland at under 17, 18 and 21 level before switching allegiances and making seven appearances for England's under 21s.
Mount however denied that 'teacher's pet' label, saying, "No, not at all. I've never felt like that. I'm a player that wants to do their best for the team and work hard. And maybe people take that the wrong way - I don't know.
"The gaffer chooses the team and all the players have just got to work hard to try and get in the starting eleven."
Many England fans have been left disappointed and underwhelmed by Southgate's teams, and tactics, in recent months and Grealish's omission has been at the top of their list of gripes.
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With the 25-year-old having scored four goals, put on five assists and led his side to big wins over Liverpool and Arsenal recently, fans will only become more annoyed if he is left out of the games against Ireland, Belgium and Iceland in the next week.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Mason Mount, Football News, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Euro 2020, Nations League, Jack Grealish, International Football, England, Euro 2021, Gareth Southgate