It will be difficult to find a footballer who knows Declan Rice and Mason Mount as well as Dan Kemp.
The Leyton Orient midfielder grew up playing for England internationals in Chelsea academy from the age of seven.
Best Friends, remarkably born four days apart in January 1999, were separated when Rice was released from the Blues at age 14 in 2014.
Kemp, a former England Under-20 international who was born in Bexley, told talkSPORT he was ‘shocked’ by Rice’s sudden exit, which ‘no one saw coming’.
He said: “It was really upsetting, but the biggest part was also how much of a shock it was.
“None of us saw it coming. Even at that age, he was such a good player. It was a huge shock to see him go because I never thought for a minute that he would be released.
“I always thought he was going to get another contract because it didn’t even occur to me that he would be released. It was hard.
“To this day, I couldn’t really think of a reason they would release him. I guess they had their individual reasons, which we’ll probably never, ever know.
“All I could do as a companion was to be there and support him.
“I knew he would do bigger and better things and he would have the resilience to bounce back.
Kemp was right when Rice joined West Ham shortly after leaving Chelsea and played 139 times for the Hammers’ first team.
Meanwhile, Mount has established himself as one of the first names on the squad sheets for Chelsea and England.
Kemp, who has won youth tournaments playing in a midfield three with Rice and Mount at Chelsea, is not surprised by the success of his close friends.
The former West Ham and Chelsea intern said: “From this young age you can always tell. I have played with so many talented players.
“We were all good technically and there are so many good players so you had to have something different and those two, their state of mind separated them from the rest.
“They work hard every day, they are so driven to improve every day. It goes so far.
“Their ability to process information, they’re so smart on and off the pitch, which allows them to do exactly what they do, which is booming and doing so well in the Premier League.
“I am so proud of them.”
Rice had been heavily linked with an important return to Chelsea during Frank Lampard’s tenure, which ended when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel in January.
And Kemp admitted it would be “ amazing ” to see Rice and Mount play together at club level again.
“Personally, it would be great for them to play together. I know they love to play together for England, ”he continued.
“So if that happened it would be amazing. But they both do so well individually for their clubs that for me, whatever happens, they would love to play with each other again – anywhere.
“I’m sure they’re happy where they are right now.”
Kemp insists Rice and Mount have what it takes to become permanent club captains one day – and possibly even lead the England national team.
At times, Rice and Mount have experienced online abuse when playing for the Three Lions, especially the latter, but Kemp has backed them both to play a pivotal role at Euro 2020 and prove that the skeptics are wrong.
He explained, “I see them play a huge role. For both of them, they’re both very versatile in the positions they play.
“I know Dec hasn’t played there recently, but he can play as a center-back or as a midfielder. Mase is exactly the same, he’s so smart as a footballer. He can play in midfield, as a wide man, in possession and out of possession, he is exceptional.
“There will always be different opinions on social media. They are both so strong mentally and they believe in themselves, so I don’t think they would let any of that get to them.
Kemp’s trip was different from Rice and Mount’s.
He left Chelsea in his first year on the scholarship to join West Ham on a professional contract in 2016.
Loan spells followed at Stevenage and Blackpool, and without a senior West Ham appearance to his name, Kemp made a permanent stint at Leyton Orient in January.
While plying his trade in League Two, Kemp intends to emulate Rice and Mount while playing in the Premier League.
He said: “I really enjoyed my debut at Leyton Orient.
“For me, my dream and my ambition has been to be a Premier League player. I still believe I can do it. It’s just about showing everyone what I can do in a consistent way.
“I will work my best every day to reach the levels that I want to reach.
“Dec and Mase are always on the lookout for what I’m doing. They are always behind me, 100%. They believe in me. They are always the first to send me a message if I score.
“They are so supportive. I would be foolish not to seek advice and benefit from their experiences as well. “