Manchester United are welcoming Mason Mount back to training as he looks to make a belated impact on the team’s season.
Mason Mount made a return to training for Manchester United this week, which has already been welcomed by teammates Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire.
He will be looking to make up for lost time after barely playing at all this season due to injury problems.
United spent £55 million to sign Mount back in the summer, handing him the number seven shirt, and while yet to see a return on that investment, manager Erik ten Hag has expressed every confidence he will be a success.
What Erik ten Hag has said about Mason Mount
Whether it happens this season or next, Erik ten Hag is convinced Mason Mount will turn out to be an asset for Manchester United.
Ten Hag has spoken several times to express his confidence Mount will be a valuable contributor, underlining why he signed him.
Speaking in October, Ten Hag told club media: “I think in every game, our game would benefit from Mason Mount. I don’t have any concern to line him up. He did come on in a lot of games, he started in a lot of games.”
A few weeks later when the ravenous media started questioning the manager over Mount, and if his view had changed, Ten Hag responded flatly: “Hasn’t changed at all.”
Speaking back in the summer when the England international was unveiled as a Manchester United player, the manager hailed Mount as a total package.
He explained: “He wants to be multi-functional, he wants to be complete. When you’re playing in midfield, you have to attack, but you also you have to defend.
“I’m sure he will bring dynamism into our game and that was one of our analysis conclusions we made after last season. We need [to be] more dynamic in the midfield department.”
Manchester United confident Mount will be an asset
Manchester United signed Mason Mount to replace Christian Eriksen in midfield, with Erik ten Hag losing faith in the Dane, who has only one start in 2024 – and that’s while the new signing has been out injured.
Mount has not shown enough during his appearances for the club so far, with Paul Scholes suggesting he had actually unbalanced the team’s midfield.
But this is not necessarily a Mount problem, it has been an issue with Erik ten Hag’s tactical set up all year.
Mount insists his best role is playing as a number eight, and this tallies with Manchester United’s plan for signing him.
There was a cohesive plan behind his signing, but Mount just hasn’t delivered yet, and patience will be required.
Whether he was the best option for the position, or whether using £55 million of funds on a player in his position was necessary with other needs elsewhere, are different conversations entirely.
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