BBC pundit Robbie Savage has questioned if Manchester United made the ‘right’ decision to sign England international Mason Mount from Chelsea in the summer.
United splashed out a hefty £55m transfer fee, plus £5m in add-ons, to bring Mount to Old Trafford, with manager Erik ten Hag a huge admirer of the ex-Chelsea star.
Mount, who signed a five-year deal with United, inherited the club’s iconic No 7 shirt and faced immediate pressure on his shoulders after his move to Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old midfielder was seen as a player who could help revitalise United’s midfield and add another dynamic layer for Ten Hag to utilise this season.
However, Mount came under criticism over his lack of impact in United’s first two Premier League matches of the season before being ruled out of action due to injury.
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag names the Manchester United summer signing he’s ‘very happy’ with
Savage asks if Mount signing was right for United
Speaking in his column for The Daily Mirror, Savage was unconvinced by Mount so far and was unsure if United manager Ten Hag had signed the right player.
The footballer-turned-pundit questioned if Mount was a “better fit in midfield” than the likes of Jude Bellingham, Alexis Mac Allister and Declan Rice.
“Is Mason Mount a better fit in midfield than Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham or Alexis Mac Allister, who all changed clubs in the summer?” Savage asked.
“[Rasmus] Hojlund, to be fair, looks a decent player — as you would expect for a £72m striker — but why didn’t United push the boat out further for [Harry] Kane?
“Both players scored at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, but surely the England captain would be a greater asset to United now.
“Under Ten Hag, United have spent around £400million on new players during his reign, but have the rewards matched the investment?”
Early days for Mount at United
Mount has missed United’s last four matches due to his injury, but it’s still too early to drop heavy criticism on the Red Devils player after only two fixtures this season.
United have struggled in the early stages of the season and, based on the last four matches alone, the problem Ten Hag is facing isn’t Mount’s current run of form.
Ten Hag has faith in the former Chelsea man and told United’s official website in July that Mount is a “quality player” who wants to be “multi-functional” and “complete.”
Mount is inching closer to his United return and Ten Hag hasn’t ruled out the idea of deploying the player as a right winger amid the situations involving Jadon Sancho and Antony.
“This has been discussed before, but we have options on the right to fill this in and we will see how we fill it in,” Ten Hag said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“As I say, we have the options, but also they have to be available and then, yeah, you have to get the routines in. But yeah, the principles and rules, they are clear.”
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