Former Vitesse Arnhem assistant coach Nicky Hofs has hailed the attitude of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.

Mount had a successful year on-loan with Vitesse for his first taste of senior football. He would later spend 12 months with Derby County before establishing himself as a key player for his formative club.

Mount finished this season a Champions League winner and also a Euro 2020 finalist with England. For Hofs, the midfielder's success is well deserved thanks to the attitude and professionalism he has shown during his burgeoning career.

Hofs, now in charge of Vitesse's U21 team, was also keen to highlight the support Mount has enjoyed from his family, particularly his father, who moved himself to Arnhem for the year at the time.

Ahead of Mount's Euro 2020 final appearance, which England eventually lost on penalties to Italy, Hofs recalled to Voetbalzone: "Despite his age, he worked hard in training. Some other guys who come from big clubs sometimes think they're already there. He continued to work hard, that was what his father always said to him.

“Sometimes he felt like he could already play. But his father simply said, 'You have to work even harder'. He was there regularly, he was very busy with him. In the positive sense, let me put it this way. His father was very realistic. I think it was really nice for Mason. You sometimes have fathers who believe that their son should play."

Hofs, in his role as Vitesse's U21 coach, has seen what works and what doesn't for young players and added: “It's also tough. You're from London, you play football at Chelsea. That was still youth football, but now you come to a first team in another country. Such imports should adapt.

"I've also seen guys from Chelsea who had more trouble with that. It's just how you deal with it. Mason handled it very maturely, despite being such a young age."

- updated July 12