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Watch Niall Ennis’ cheeky goal for England Under 17s set up by Mason Mount as he gets set to face Chelsea pal in FA Cup

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NIALL ENNIS has been inspired by how old pals Mason Mount and Trevoh Chalobah rose to stardom at Chelsea.

And the Plymouth striker believes he will join his former England youth team-mates in the Premier League.

Plymouth star Niall Ennis is looking forward to facing his old England youth pal Mason Mount
Mount is a key player now for Chelsea

Ennis, 22, is looking forward to seeing the pair on Saturday as his League One side travel to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup.

Chalobah used to be his room-mate while Mount set up a memorable goal for Ennis – a classy back-heel in England Under-17s’ 2-1 win over Germany in November 2015. 

The Pilgrims ace said: “It was the first time a game I was involved in was televised live. Mason scored the first goal and I got the second.

“Mason was always good – mentally driven and, coming from Chelsea, of course technically sound.

“But you could tell that if he was given a chance in a top team he’d take it. He has done that – and a lot of that is down to himself.

“Before Frank Lampard came along as manager, not many youngsters were getting an opportunity at Chelsea – so he decided to drop into the Championship for a season’s loan at Derby.

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“And that gave him a platform to show how good he was in one of the most demanding divisions in the world.”

Ennis bucks the trend among many in his age group who are obsessed with social media – instead believing it paints a false picture that making it to the top is easy and instant.

The Pilgrims striker insists not only did Mount and Chalobah have to work ridiculously hard to break into a Chelsea first-team full of internationals, they had to drop out of the glamour surroundings of the West London club to make their case.

While Mount went to Derby, Chalobah also dropped into the EFL with loan spells at Ipswich and Huddersfield.

That is why Ennis decided to bite the bullet last summer to leave Wolves and join Plymouth – having previously had loan spells at Shrewsbury, Doncaster and Burton.

He said: “Not everyone goes straight to the top and it’s about being honest with yourself. We’re in this day and age where you go on social media and it looks so simple – but it’s not.

Ennis hopes to join Mount one day in the Premier League

“When you’re about 15, you just think the path is going to be straight up without bumps on the road.

“But sometimes you must take a step down into the Championship or League One or Two to prove yourself and work your way up.

“In England’s starting XI for last year’s Euro final, only Declan Rice and Raheem Sterling had not dropped into the EFL. 

“So many people aren’t aware of the backgrounds of our top players and how they’ve had to work their way up.

“Not everyone is going to be like Phil Foden, who went straight into the Premier League at Manchester City.

Not everyone goes straight to the top and it’s about being honest with yourself

Niall Ennis

“At Wolves, I knew I wasn’t yet Prem standard so needed to play at a level where I could develop and prove myself – rather than just lurking about in the under-23s.

“For me, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I know all about my ability and it’s going to happen. I must remain patient.”

Ennis has fond memories of Chalobah, who captained the England teams in his age group.

He said: “I shared a room with Trevoh at St George’s Park on a few camps. He’s a good guy, a superb player.

“He was our captain. He played centre-back, sometimes right back and centre-midfield. He was a leader and coming from Chelsea he was technically always going to be good on the ball and defensively was excellent.

“Mason and Trevoh play the exact same as they did then but have a lot more know-how with all the games under their belts.”

Ennis is a realist and knows Argyle face an enormous task against the European champions, who will be heading out to Abu Dhabi after the game to compete at the Club World Cup.

Ennis celebrates scoring against Fleetwood this seasonCredit: Rex

But the striker is a great lover of the FA Cup and grew up inspired by some of the giant killings that took place.

He said: “I remember five years ago Wolves were a lower mid-table Championship team going to Liverpool and beating them. 

“That result gave the whole club a boost and the next season they won promotion to the Premier League.

“The FA Cup has been dying down a bit at the top level for some reason but for me it’s still important and a great competition.” 

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk

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