How Mount injury forces Man Utd into transfer rethink
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 24 Aug 2023 10:17 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United have suffered another injury blow to one of their summer signings after Mason Mount was ruled out with for four to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
The £60 million arrival from Chelsea came off in United’s loss to Tottenham last weekend and he joins fellow newcomer Rasmus Hojlund on the sidelines, meaning Erik ten Hag is without more than £130m worth of players just two games into the season.
United have been desperate to sign another midfielder before the transfer deadline next week and the need will only have amplified after the setback to Mount, however the club have no obvious solution on the horizon.
TIMELINE: When will Hojlund return for Man Utd?
Sofyan Amrabat has been Ten Hag’s top target but United have been unable to match Fiorentina’s price tag so far, although the Italian side are believed to have lowered their demands to £21m in order to secure an exit for their wantaway star.
But even with the potential discount, United have found themselves struggling to conduct their business due to a lack of income generated from player sales, with just £30m brought in through the exits of players like Fred and Anthony Elanga.
United had been considering the reluctant sale of Scott McTominay, who was the subject of a £30m bid from West Ham earlier in the window but the injury to Mount has all but ruled out the prospect of the Scotsman’s departure.
Ten Hag in a lose-lose situation
Along with Hojlund and Mount, United have signed Andre Onana this summer to take their outlay during the window to nearly £200m, leaving them unable to finance further deals despite the need for a forward as well as a midfielder.
United had been hoping to raise funds by selling Harry Maguire but the ex-captain failed to agree terms on a pay-off towards a departure, meaning he is likely to stay and leaving the club with no real asset to fund further business.
NO GO: Maguire set to stay at Old Trafford after rejecting West Ham
While the likes of Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson and Eric Bailly will offer some relief to the wage bill, their sales would only raise a nominal amount for transfer fees, leaving United to potentially reconsider their stance on McTominay.
The academy graduate’s departure would count as pure profit towards financial fair play, potentially paving the way for further signings, however selling a midfielder in the wake of Mount’s injury could horrendously backfire if United fail to replace McTominay in the final week of the window.
Ultimately poor planning on United’s part has left the club scrambling after an underwhelming start to the season and Ten Hag now faces the task of either selling a key player, signing a cheap alternative who may not be good enough or bringing no-one in at all – a situation which the Dutchman will struggle to come out on top of.
