Familiarity has spawned contempt with Mason Mount, but demanding Reece James parity is fair

Mason Mount is only 23 years old and it is important to remember that when he is judged as a senior player. His Chelsea managers like him even if you don't.

“Tuchel better not bother Mount,” Henry Winter wrote when the English media lost their shit over Bambi’s murder/Frank Lampard’s sacking. He must have been worried as Tuchel liked Mount so much that only Antonio Rudiger and Edouard Mendy played more minutes at Chelsea under his guidance. Mount was somehow appreciated even though Tuchel was German, with the Champions League-winning manager picking players on talent rather than nationality like a normal person.

Which is almost a shame, because we were intrigued to see what the Times man - usually polite to the end - was really threatening. A tutorial?

Mount was Chelsea's Player of the Year in both seasons of Tuchel's reign, with the only full German Premier League campaign with 11 goals and ten assists from the diamond in the pile of poo that was the Blues attack options.

This season was different for Mount, whose form dipped with that of Chelsea; the identity of the chicken and the egg in this scenario is unknown, but it's important to remember at this point that Mount is only 23 years old.

He's been such an integral part of the Chelsea first team over the past three years that it's easy to forget he's barely a year older than Conor Gallagher. His experience relative to his age is immense and yet he is often judged on the former as a senior player who should never suffer form issues. Instead of understanding the noises about the inconsistency of young players, Mount is considered the average player who has been "discovered".

The lowest came in that Champions League opener of the season against Dinamo Zagreb when Tuchel fielded Mount as part of his double pivot, an experience that exposed him as did Gallagher .

In the second Champions League clash, Tuchel was replaced by Graham Potter and 22/23 Mount was replaced by a version that looked more familiar, backed by a new manager and new ideas. He only got better in the games that followed, with the double assist in the win over Wolves being followed by a 45-minute blitz in Milan that saw his run win a penalty and the first goal, and his touch set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Chelsea's skillful second.

That's phenomenal timing from Mount, who can get into contract talks demanding pay parity with Reece James and point to his latest performance. There will be many who scoff at the idea that Mount is James' equal, but the midfielder has long suffered from a familiarity that breeds contempt.

Is it Kevin De Bruyne? Of course not. But you can be equally sure that Pep Guardiola would be interested if Mount became available, having hailed him three years ago as a Spanish-style player capable of operating in tight spaces.

Despite all the frantic talk from James Maddison – considered an inescapable maverick by old men crying to the clouds who still dream of Gazza – Mount is by far the most complete player. But 'complete players' aren't sexy, although 'complete players' can come off the bench for England and switch games too.

Tuchel hasn't bothered Mount, nor has Graham Potter, who has already started Mount in every Chelsea game he's coached. He is a man who likes to tinker but Mount has so far remained immune to his machinations. His managers know his value even if the majority of football fans remain reluctant.