England boss Gareth Southgate insists Mason Mount is a \u2018very underappreciated\u2019 player as the Chelsea midfielder scored the winning goal in The Three Lions\u2019 2-1 win over top-rated Belgium in the Nations League on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Southgate\u2019s decision to play Mason Mount ahead of the in-form Jack Grealish, who put in a man-of-the-match display in Thursday\u2019s 3-0 win against Wales, was questioned by some England supporters but his faith in Mount evidently paid off when the 21-year-old\u2019s 64th-minute deflected shot ensured England leap-frogged Belgium in their Nations League group.<\/p>\n
Southgate told talkSPORT:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a top player. He can receive [the ball] under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s intelligent with his movement. He\u2019s, of course, still learning. To find space in the first-half was difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in a tactical game where it\u2019s just as important defensively what the forwards do, to have a player like him who can do both sides\u2026 the way that Marcus Rashford did, the way Dominic Calvert-Lewin did.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read a lot of things about Mason and I think he\u2019s a very underappreciated player \u2013 but not by us.\u201d<\/p>\n
After falling behind thanks to a Romelu Lukaku penalty in the 16th minute after he was fouled by Eric Dier, Southgate\u2019s side went level through a spot-kick of their own as Jordan Henderson was pulled down by Thomas Meunier, which saw Marcus Rashford convert from 12 yards.<\/p>\n
And Mount lost no time in sealing an impressive three points for The Three Lions with his second goal in nine appearances for England.<\/p>\n
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