Ruben Amorim showed his tactical flexibility once again but it wasn’t enough for Manchester United to beat Aston Villa.
Manchester United will spend Christmas in seventh place in the Premier League table following the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.
Matheus Cunha scored his third goal of the season, but United were undone by two Morgan Rogers goals scored from range.
After the full-time whistle, Ruben Amorim said United were “unlucky” not to win, and many fans will agree with that statement after a much more encouraging performance.
Alongside an impressive Lisandro Martinez display and a strong Patrick Dorgu performance, Mason Mount also deserves credit for his unique role played at Villa Park.
Mason Mount played two roles vs Aston Villa
Amorim praised Mount’s football intelligence last week, and for the trip to Villa he was handed a unique set of instructions.
Once again, Amorim tweaked his formation to stifle Villa’s midfield, and Mount was the key to the game plan.
As pointed out by journalist Henry Winter, Mount put in a “huge shift” covering “two roles”. With Bryan Mbeumo unavailable, Mount lined up on the right side of United’s attack.
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But Villa appeared to be caught out by Mount dropping into midfield to support Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte.
In possession, Mount would then surge forward and support Benjamin Sesko from a more advanced position.
For just the second time this season, Mount played the full 90 minutes of the match against Villa. While he wasn’t able to impact the scoreline, his role in Amorim’s tactical setup should not be understated.
Mason Mount importance grows after Bruno Fernandes injury
United fans collectively held their breath when Bruno Fernandes suffered an injury in the first half against Villa. Seeing the Portuguese playmaker pull up has been an extremely rare sight.
Fernandes has suffered a suspected hamstring injury which could rule him out of several upcoming games.
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United will need to fill Fernandes’ creative void somehow, and that puts much more responsibility into the hands of Mount.
Mount has overcome his injury issues suffered during his first two seasons at United, and now his top priority should be consistency and creativity.
With Kobbie Mainoo also injured, Mount can expect to drop deep again in the upcoming visit from Newcastle United.
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