Manchester United have suffered what feels like injury after injury after injury this season and there have been few glimmers of light from the treatment room.
Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez just can’t seem to avoid injuries and seem to pick up new problems even when they come back.
Shaw and Martinez have combined for just 19 Premier League starts this season and both players are on the treatment table right now.
Shaw’s injury history is patchy at best since joining United and Martinez has struggled despite no concerns from his time at Ajax.
So many other United players have suffered injury problems, meaning Erik ten Hag has barely been able to play his strongest side all season long.
Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, and Anthony Martial are all injured right now whilst Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane have all been nursing problems.
Manchester United star impressing coaches
United fans need some good news on the injury front and one story appears to bring some much-needed positivity.
Mason Mount came off the bench to score for United against Brentford, bagging what appeared to be a winning goal.
United somehow conceded a leveller late on, robbing Mount of a winning moment in a United shirt.
The goal was still a huge moment for Mount, who came off the bench against Liverpool for his first appearance in four months.
Mount’s first season at United has been a nightmare in terms of injuries, limiting him to just four Premier League starts.
ESPN now report that Mount’s determination to succeed has impressed Ten Hag and his coaching staff.
It’s stated that Ten Hag agreed to put Mount on the bench against Liverpool on the understanding that he wouldn’t actually play.
However, Mount asked to come on in extra time during the FA Cup clash, showing the desire to make an impact for United.
Mount even asked to be part of team meetings during his injury lay-off – meetings he was not expected to be part of due to his injury.
The former Chelsea man has been putting in long hours at Carrington and has often been the last one to leave training sessions.
This is the kind of mentality United fans want to see and it seems that Ten Hag has been blown away by Mount’s mentality and desire to turn around a disappointing situation.
Where will Mount actually play for United?
Mount is back and could be pushing to start against his former club Chelsea on Thursday night.
The question will then turn to pondering where Mount will actually play in this United side.
The initial plan seemed to be for Mount to play alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in a three-man engine room.
Ten Hag went down that route earlier in the season, but it didn’t really work as United were left far too open.
We are now used to seeing a 4-2-3-1 approach with Bruno as the number 10 and both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out wide.
Where Mount fits into this plan is somewhere unclear as he can play as a number 10 or in from the flanks.
Playing Mount in a deeper role is a possibility but not really where he has been used in the majority of his career.
This was a conundrum when Mount signed and Ten Hag will now have to work it out again with the England international back in the mix and doing everything he can to become a success.
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