AND WE'RE OFF!

FREE INSIDE: YOUR BRILLIANT DAILY EUROS PULLOUT

MASON Mount had received notice that Luka Modric wanted to talk, but even still, the reality of their meeting took time to process.

In the moments after Chelsea had bounced Real Madrid out of the Champions League, with Mount having scored the goal that had confirmed his side would be going to Porto to contest the final, Modric sought out the 22-year- old midfielder. He had come with a request for a souvenir.

‘I’d spoken to Mateo Kovacic before the first leg and asked if I could get Modric’s shirt at a later date,’ said Mount.

‘Kova said he likes to swap with players, so he came up and said he wanted mine. Then he just said good luck in the upcoming games. It was brilliant to speak to him.

‘For him to want my shirt? I was quite overwhelmed.’

Mount’s reaction was so natural. As a young boy, he watched Modric closely, studying his every move.

The feints, the shuffles, the disguised passes and the ability to keep hold of a ball, the Croat is the kind of footballer who provides an education each time he steps on to a pitch.

But Modric, 35, is also humble and recognises quality, something which oozes from the Chelsea star. That a former Ballon d’Or winner was asking for Mount’s shirt after one of the biggest games of the year reflects his current standing within the game.

‘Playing against him, it was weird because I had watched him so much, I kind of knew his moves and what he was going to do,’ said Mount.

‘The experience of playing against him helps because you want to be in these big games and learn how to handle the pressure and big moments.’

The shirt Mount received in return from Modric is now safely at home, tucked away with ‘a couple of others’ he has collected in recent months but what will happen tomorrow at Wembley, if Modric seeks him out once more looking for another keepsake?

‘I am not too sure if we are allowed to swap or not,’ said Mount. ‘But I think I will look to keep every single shirt I wear. It being the Euros, I don’t want to give them away.’

Surrendering possession — or possessions — is not something Mount does lightly. He brushed off a question at St George’s

Park yesterday about whether he considered himself a regular England starter. It did not matter that he didn’t want to answer: everyone knows that’s exactly what he is.

Gareth Southgate has always thought the world of Mount, right from when he was one of the most talked about teenage talents in the Under 17s and the high hopes that were harboured for him five years ago have certainly come to fruition.

It should be noted that Mount was invited to train with England’s squad before the last World Cup, long before he had even been selected for the Under 21s.

He ended up going out to Russia, on a trip organised by Nike, along with Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon to get a pointer for the future.

‘I look back at the pictures now and we all look so young,’ Mount said, smiling at the memory. ‘It was a special trip and we all enjoyed it.

‘I remember we were walking around the BBC set and did a little interview with Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker, and we actually stumbled across Cesc Fabregas.

‘We had a little chat with him and he recognised me from training at Chelsea.

‘We know he is an absolutely legend and what he has done in the sport.

‘For us to have a little chat with him and Lineker and Shearer as well it was special to be around them and learn little bits.’

That those same pundits will now be analysing him — and Foden — over the course of the next four weeks shows the strides he has made.

These young men represent a fresh, exciting generation, blessed with great technical ability, who have the potential to take England forward.

They do not play with fear and the confidence they have should be burgeoning, especially Mount, whose performance against Manchester City in Porto was a comingof-age night. After winning the biggest club trophy of them all, what is there to fear?

Certainly, he is relishing stepping out at Wembley and pitting his wits against Modric once more. Should things go as he has dreamed, there will be games at Wembley to savour

all the way through to the final on July 11.

‘We have been without fans for over a year until recently and to have them back, even a couple of thousand in Porto, it was such a special atmosphere,’ said Mount. ‘It is something that as players we thrive off.

‘Playing in the front of fans, you always have that little thing about “What if?” and “What could be?” later on down the line when hopefully there is a packed out Wembley. That would be unbelievable. You do think about it but, for me, it is about staying focused.

‘We won the Champions League at a good time and I’ll take that confidence into the first game. So, yeah, there is lots to look forward to.’

There definitely is. Let the games begin.