Mason Mount pays emotional tribute to ‘very important’ Frank Lampard after Chelsea sacking

Former Blues midfielder Lampard was dismissed after 18 months in charge on Monday

Mason Mount and Frank Lampard (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Mason Mount has "nothing but praise and gratitude" for Frank Lampard after the former manager's sacking by Chelsea.

Former Blues midfielder Lampard was dismissed after 18 months in charge on Monday following a poor run of form that saw the club fall to ninth in the Premier League.

Thomas Tuchel has been installed as his successor, signing an 18-month contract following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain in December.

Mount has a strong relationship with Lampard with the now former boss having taken him to Derby on loan in the Championship prior to his arrival.

"He’s been very important to me," he told the club website. "He brought me to Derby, gave me the playing time and I learnt so much under him there before coming back to Chelsea and continuing my learning.

"I have nothing but praise and gratitude for everything he’s given me as a player on and off the pitch. I’ve definitely grown as a player as well so he obviously means a lot to me."

Tuchel now becomes the 10th permanent manager of the club under Roman Abramovich's stewardship.

Senior players have gone through similar periods of transition before with younger players such as Mount looking to them for guidance with many of them now experiencing it for the first time.

"It’s a tough time for the club," he added. "I’ve been here for a very long time and seen managers depart from afar while being in the Academy but when you’re in the first team building and it happens, it’s a different feeling.

"It’s something us younger players haven’t really experienced before but we speak to the likes of Azpi [Cesar Azpilicueta] and Petr Cech, who have been through it, and try to get any bit of experience from them on how to deal with it."

Mount will hope to feature in Tuchel's first game, at home against Wolves on Wednesday evening.