Mason Mount says he has not been surprised by Tammy Abraham's goalscoring exploits this season
Mason Mount says he has not been surprised by Tammy Abraham's form for Chelsea this season.
Frank Lampard handed Abraham the No.9 jersey last summer and made him his first-choice centre-forwards for the campaign.
Chelsea were linked with several other strikers in the January transfer window, with Edinson Cavani and Dries Mertens among those who were of interest to the Blues.
However, Lampard was unable to bolster his attacking options, meaning Abraham will be relied upon for goals for the remainder of the campaign.
And Mount has backed his team-mate to continue finding the net - something he has already done 13 times in the Premier League - between now and May.
"I am not very impressed at all. I know exactly what he is like," he said. "I have grown up knowing what kind of player he is and what he can achieve.
"This is not a big surprise to me what he is doing this season. I know what he can do so for him to be scoring loads of goals and playing well that's the best thing to see for us players, coaching staff and fans to see him doing so well. It is brilliant to see.
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"I would personally say it is more mental than physical," he added on Abraham's relative drought in recent weeks, which has seen the England international score twice since the start of December.
"There is obviously a big focus on performing in every game. The fans want you to do well so there is a lot of pressure. He has dealt with that brilliantly. As I said before, it is not a big surprise to me."
Chelsea are currently on their winter break and will return to Premier League action when they host Manchester United in two weeks' time.
The Blues are four points clear of Tottenham in the race for fourth spot and Champions League qualification.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).