Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has praised team-mate Jorginho for helping his transition to the first team at Stamford Bridge.
Mount made his club debut against Manchester United on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, and has already racked up 11 appearances for the Blues in all competitions.
The midfielder spent the last two seasons on loan at Vitesse and Derby, but he has made the most of his opportunity back in west London this term.
Mount has scored four goals in his eight top-flight outings so far in 2019/20, while he also made his England debut in last month’s 4-0 victory over Bulgaria.
And the 20-year-old has singled out Jorginho, who endured a difficult debut campaign at Stamford Bridge last term, for praise.
The Italy international was not the most popular figure among Chelsea supporters given his association with former manager Maurizio Sarri, but he has thrived under Frank Lampard and also helped Mount adapt to life in the first team.
“When you’re coming into a team and playing with someone like Jorginho, how much of a character he is and how big he is within the team, he’s had a massive effect on me,” he told Sky Sports.
“I think playing with him, being around him, training with him every day, he’s a massive player for us and you learn so much off a player with that experience of playing at a very, very high level.”
Mount, who joined the club's academy as a six-year-old, also spoke of his desire to be a Chelsea regular for years to come.
Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Fikayo Tomori have also made the leap from youth team to senior squad in recent months, and Mount says he wants to play as often as possible for the west Londoners.
“It’s something that, as a young player coming through, you hear all this stuff about, ‘there’s not going to be another academy player coming through’. I look at it now and there’s numerous academy players coming through,” he added.
“Being at that age, you always want to make your way to the first team, and now it’s finally come about I’m definitely focused on trying to keep working hard and trying to play as many games as I can for this club.”
A 4-1 thrashing of Southampton on Sunday moved Lampard’s side into fifth place in the Premier League table.
READ MORE...
Why Christian Pulisic is symbolic of Chelsea's disjointed past – but could still represent a brighter future
Pochettino's pressure: why it's likely to get worse for Tottenham before it gets better
David Luiz, the constant enigma – how the mercurial defensive talent defines Unai Emery's Arsenal
