England manager Gareth Southgate has said that Mason Mount call-up to the national team has been by merit. The 20-year-old has made a sublime start to his Chelsea career where he has already scored two Premier League goals from three appearances and that has paved the way for his selection with the Three Lions.

Speaking in a press conference, Southgate said that the midfielder has made the squad on merit and it is not based entirely on the performances in the Premier League this term. He added that he has monitored the youngster’s progress through the different age groups and believes the midfielder provides a genuine goalscoring threat in every game.

He said: “Mason is in on merit. He looks like threatening the goal every time he plays. I’ve watched him since 16 playing through the various age groups. He’s not in based on three games this season, he’s in on the back after a successful year in the Eredivisie, a year at Derby and he’s improved at every level he’s played at.”

Mount had successfully loan stints with Vitesse and Derby County over the past two seasons and that has transformed him into a better footballer. The young Englishman was one of the standout performers for the Blues during pre-season and he has carried over the form in the Premier League, where he has scored in the past two matches.

As such, he has been dually rewarded for the progress made and it remains to be seen whether he can become a regular with the senior England side. Meanwhile, Blues teammate Ross Barkley is another, who has been called up by Southgate but the duo could find themselves competing for just one position from the starting XI for England. The Three Lions are scheduled to face Bulgaria and Kosovo in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.