WHEN he made his senior Chelsea debut in late August, coming off the bench in a Premier League defeat at West Ham United, Mason Burstow found himself forming part of a three-man attack that also featured Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson.

Fast forward to Friday night at Hillsborough, and as he helped Sunderland claim a dominant 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday, the 20-year-old found himself stationed between Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts.

Two different worlds? Not exactly. Yes, Burstow might have dropped down to the Championship in search of regular first-team action, but when he compares the players he left at Stamford Bridge to the ones he is now playing alongside at the Stadium of Light, the difference is nowhere near as stark as you might imagine.

“When you look at people like Jack and Patrick, and Jobe (Bellingham), Dan (Neil) and quite a few of the younger lads, then they’re great players who have every chance of playing at the top level.

“They’re brilliant to play with, but the level we’re playing at hasn’t surprised me. I watched them from last season, because I knew the plan this season was probably to go out on loan, and you could see straight away they were great players building a great team. I knew that before coming here.

“I knew the standard would be high, but being part of it and seeing it every day is amazing for me to see. It feels amazing to be part of a team that is on track to get promoted to the Premier League.”

Burstow started the season playing in the top-flight, making two Premier League substitute appearances for Chelsea and also starting for the Blues in the Carabao Cup win over AFC Wimbledon.

READ MORE:

“It was an amazing experience,” said the youngster, who graduated through the youth ranks at Charlton Athletic before joining Chelsea’s academy in February 2022. “Obviously, they’re all elite players playing for an elite club, and the gaffer (Mauricio Pochettino) is as good as can be. Learning from him, and learning from the players I’d been watching week in, week out, was really good.”

It was not, however, something that was destined to last for the rest of the season. Having cast his eye over Burstow in three senior matches, Pochettino decided he would benefit more from a loan spell than remaining on the fringe of things with the Blues.

Sunderland had already inquired about Burstow at the start of the summer, initially with a view to a permanent transfer, then to discuss a loan, so once Chelsea had made their decision, the striker was delighted when the Black Cats rekindled their interest.

“I knew there was interest at the start of the window,” said Burstow. “It was mainly to buy me, but then Chelsea weren’t having it, and obviously I was part of things at Chelsea, being on the bench a few times and coming on.

“Eventually, Pochettino have me the go-ahead to go out on loan, and that’s when Sunderland came straight back in. I knew they had interest the whole window, I knew they were watching me, and that made it a no-brainer to come here.”

Even so, Sunderland had battle hard to secure Burstow’s signature amid competing interest from a number of clubs including Italian giants, AC Milan. A Zoom call involving Tony Mowbray, Burstow and the youngster’s mother proved crucial, persuading the Londoner that the time was right to leave his roots and relocate to the North-East.

“Tony is a well-respected manager, and the fact I can have meetings with him, and he is so passionate about me, asking about me from the start of the window, is massive,” said Burstow. “He wanted me from the start.

“Also, it’s a young team, and one of the reasons I came here as well is that it’s easier to fit in with people who are a similar age to me. Tony obviously likes the younger players, and wants to help them develop.”

Proof of Burstow’s ongoing development came in Friday’s win at Hillsborough, a game that featured his best performance in a Sunderland shirt.

The striker might still be waiting for his first goal in red-and-white stripes, but the quality of his all-round game has improved markedly during his time on Wearside, culminating in the assist for Clarke’s opening goal on Friday and the slick penalty-box turn that drew the foul that enabled Clarke to score his second from the spot.

“From a selfish point of view, I would like to have scored as well, but you can’t complain when you get an assist and contribute to the team winning,” said Burstow. “It was a great game, and I thought we were the better team by far.

“I already know I’ve made the right choice coming here. I’m enjoying it here. The fans are amazing, the club is amazing, and the staff and players are all good with me. I’ve just moved into my place, and I’m settled now. Hopefully, the performances like Friday will just keep on coming.”