Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount has had a tough time of things since his summer move to Old Trafford.
Mason Mount joined Manchester United for a fee in the region of £55 million from Chelsea during the summer and the Englishman was tipped to be Erik ten Hag’s main man in midfield.
However, that has not turned out to be the case for the Englishman as his struggles on the pitch have led to Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen overtaking him in the team.
Despite him reportedly impressing staff at Carrington according to The Athletic, where does the Englishman fit in with rumours of yet another new midfielder being targeted next summer?
Mount’s conundrum
When looking at the midfield three positions, only one of these three is known week-to-week who will start. Bruno Fernandes, who joined the club in January 2020, remains the only midfielder who is almost certain to start for the Red Devils.
The other two positions, however, are not known. The defensive midfield position looked set to be filled by Casemiro after his stellar debut season but his physical regression means the Red Devils may have to dip into the transfer market to replace the former Real Madrid midfielder as his time at the club may well be coming to an end.
The other midfield position is the box-to-box role, which is feasibly the only place that Mount fits into Ten Hag’s side.
The Dutchman experimented with Mount and Fernandes as two number 10s earlier this season but, despite the duo looking good going forward, the holes it left in the midfield meant this was not a viable option.
Asking Mount to play deeper is limiting the superb threat he offers with his late runs into the box often causing mayhem for opposition teams. This, however, this isn’t possible without a new defensive midfielder.
Teenager could get best out of Mount
The Englishman really can only play that number eight role but perhaps with a new, more energetic, defensive midfielder behind him, he could flourish at Old Trafford.
Perhaps one who is young enough to develop under Ten Hag’s tutelage and one who would cost the Red Devils absolutely nothing.
Perhaps Kobbie Mainoo could be the man. Despite the pressure being already way too much from certain sections of the fanbase, he could be key. The ironic thing is that, despite him not playing a single minute of competitive football this season, the teenager might be the key to getting the best out of Mount.
With his superb energy, his fantastic range of passing, and his good spatial awareness, Mainoo may well be the solution to the problems that Casemiro brought, with there being too many holes in the middle of the park with the Brazilian involved.
Dropping an 18-year-old into one of the most important positions on the pitch would be a risk but a risk worth taking if Mainoo brings his obvious qualities to the fold and gets the best out of his £55 million midfield partner in the process.
It’s a risk that Ten Hag may well have to take to ignite Mount’s United career.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/oHaDgsp