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When Manchester United decided to splash potentially up to £60m on Mason Mount last summer, many fans queried the logic behind Erik ten Hag’s decision.
This was due to attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes being captain and his place seemingly being set in stone in the team.
Fast forward nine months and many supporters are still scratching their head, yet the Englishman can take little blame so far.
Mount has only managed 14 games for the Red Devils and was caught up in the manager’s rather confusing decision to give a jolt to the team’s playing style and turn them into the “best transition team” in the world, in Erik ten Hag’s own words.
A swift glance at the league table would suggest this idea has not really borne fruit as the Red Devils languish in sixth place.
Mount can have little blame despite only notching one assist this season, with his injury keeping him out for more than three months, but as a result, he still has no clear place in the team.
In fact according to ESPN, it has become somewhat of a running joke online that fans had “forgotten he played for United”.
These barbs have hurt Mount according to sources as the player has had difficulty adapting to life at Old Trafford.
The cruel injury blows have been so hard to take as he “had been so desperate to make a good first impression at his new club”.
His attitude however deserves praise as ESPN detailed below.
“He’s often seen stopping his car for autograph hunters as he leaves United’s Carrington training ground and, according to one source, raised £20,000 for charity earlier in the season by auctioning off a mascot experience, including the chance to walk out with him before a game at Old Trafford.”
Mount found it challenging to leave Chelsea, the team he had been with since he was six years old. He was disappointed in the characterisation that his move was about money when it has been well reported that the Chelsea board decided to sell him without his consent.
“With Mount’s departure from Chelsea still raw, sources say he has purposely done almost no interviews. There is, however, an acceptance that he’ll have to address the move at some point soon, if only to ensure that supporters understand his side of the story.”
It would have been easy to sit and wallow in the face of the cruel hand he has been dealt, but Mount has left a strong impression on Erik ten Hag and his staff during his challenging time on the sidelines. They have been particularly satisfied with his will to return to first team action as soon as possible.
This was seen when the England international was thrown right back into the squad to play Liverpool and despite an agreement that he wouldn’t play, he came on for the last 15 minutes of extra time to inject the middle of the park with some much needed energy.
ESPN explain that sources have told them, “Mount asked to be part of team meetings that he wasn’t required to attend in an effort to make sure he was up to speed with Ten Hag’s instructions and ready to return as soon as possible. It meant long days at Carrington and, according to sources, there were many occasions when he was the last player to leave.”
“Being on a different training and rehabilitation schedule than his teammates has often made his first year at United a lonely experience” and many of his close family have paid him regular visits to keep his morale up.
However, there may yet be light at the end of the tunnel, as the 25-year-old scored what looked to be a late winner versus Brentford with an expertly taken finish and produced his first memorable moment in a United shirt.
In addition, with an FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City coming up later this month and Tottenham Hotspur dropping points away to West Ham United yesterday, there is still much to fight for in this campaign.
In other words, Mount can still play a massive part in the concluding chapters of this season’s story.
As fate would have it, the former Chelsea graduate could be potentially involved in his first start since the injury at his former home at Stamford Bridge tomorrow night. This would be his first start since November.
A positive showing there and throughout the spring could help guide United to an FA Cup and Champions League football and on a personal level, could even help him sneak into Gareth Southgate’s final England squad for the Euros this summer.
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