It is not just with performance levels that the young players have been impressing. Their general attitude and application in training, as well as how they act and interact off the field, has also been admired by Lampard. Bath takes as much pride in this as their footballing achievements because it reflects the culture he has spent the past 15 years crafting at Cobham.

‘We have to set our ambitions high because we want to be the best football academy in the world and the number one choice for players and parents,’ he continues. ‘That’s about maximising player potential but also developing them as good young people as well.

‘When first team coaching staff speak so highly about them as people, how they are humble and respectful, how they work so hard every day and set the standards in training, that’s also incredibly nice to hear and reinforces the culture we have built.

‘Respect, togetherness and hard work is what we expect from everyone. Being grounded and empathetic is a big part of our culture and sometimes it’s hard to get the right balance when you’re also promoting an elite, winning mentality where players need to be mentally tough to reach the top.

‘The culture has to be built organically over a long time, you can’t just click your fingers and create it. You have to stick to your values, live them every day and sometimes make tough decisions if you have the wrong people showing the wrong characteristics because that undermines everything and everyone. When you get the right culture in place, it becomes much easier because the players and staff police the building and the environment becomes self-serving.’

Mason Mount’s self-belief justifies the culture

Academy players typically sign rolling two-year registration contracts and are well within their rights to move clubs for minimal training compensation if they wish. It is a nuance of youth development that means retaining players becomes just as important as attracting them.

In an interview earlier this year, Mount’s father Tony revealed how he tried to convince his then-15-year-old son to consider other opportunities when he was offered a scholarship by the Blues in 2014. ‘I’m not leaving Chelsea, it’s my club,’ was Mason’s response. ‘I’ve been here since the age of six and I’m going all the way.’