Reece James was seen applauding Mason Mount during Chelsea’s win over Manchester United (TNT Sports)
Mason Mount was greeted by loud boos around Stamford Bridge during his return to Chelsea – but Reece James clearly holds nothing against the Manchester United midfielder.
Mount, who joined United in a £55 million deal last summer, endured a night to forget on Thursday evening in his first game back against his former club.
The 25-year-old was brought on as a substitute in the 86th minute with United leading 3-2 and Chelsea supporters made their feelings clear as the midfielder was booed on the touchline before he made his way onto the pitch.
But Chelsea captain James, who missed the game due to injury, was sat directly behind the dugout and television cameras showed him briefly applauding Mount as his name was being announced.
However, the game went downhill for United and Mount as Cole Palmer’s late double sealed a 4-2 win for Chelsea.
According to ESPN Argentina, Fernandez screamed at Mount: ‘This is Chelsea.’
The Argentine midfielder also repeatedly said ‘cagon’ to Mount, which translates from Spanish to English as ‘coward’.
James, meanwhile, has also been linked with a surprise move away from Chelsea this summer with the club looking for ways to meet Financial Fair Play regulations.
Chelsea have already announced a pre-tax loss of £90.1m in the year to 30 June 2023, raising concerns that they would not meet the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Reports last week claimed that Chelsea are hoping to raise £60m by selling James at the end of the season.
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