Mason Burstow played a surprisingly prominent role in Chelsea’s preseason, as the squad was restructured around him.
He came off the bench several times to play up front and relieve Nicolas Jackson, our only fit number nine at the time, and even scored a goal against Dortmund with his final touch of the preseason. He came off the bench in Chelsea’s early Premier League games before being loaned out to Sunderland.
He recently spoke to the Sunderland Echo about how the move came about, and he shared some interesting information about his prospective future:
“I knew at the start of the window that there was interest,” Burstow explained.
“It was mainly to buy me, but Chelsea weren’t having it, and obviously I was part of Chelsea, being on the bench and coming on a few times.”
“Eventually, Pochettino gave me permission to go out on loan, and that’s when Sunderland came back in.”
“I knew they had interest the whole window, I knew they were watching me which made it a no brainer to come here.”
The teenager also had a lot to say about what it was like to train with such good players so soon after leaving non-league football:
“It was amazing,” Burstow said when asked about his summer at Chelsea. “Obviously, they’re all elite players for an elite club, and the coach is the best there is.”
“Learning from him and the players I’ve been watching week in and week out is beneficial.”
“There are a few that contact me (at Chelsea) now to make sure I’m settling in, asking about the game plan, the games ahead, just so they have an understanding as well when they’re watching.”
“They are staying in contact and making sure I stay on the right track as well.”
Burstow appeared to be a strong worker with an eye for goal during our US trip, and we are hopeful that a season in the Championship would help him improve swiftly. There’s no reason he can’t have an even bigger impact next summer.
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