Man Utd cannot afford to compound Mount MISTAKE with another

Robin Bairner

11 Mar 2024 12:50 GMT
3 min read

Manchester United have made a decision over the future of Mason Mount, who has had a nightmare start to his career at the Red Devils.

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Mount has become something of a forgotten figure at Old Trafford, despite moving last summer in a blockbuster deal worth £55 million (€64m) from Chelsea.

Given he only had a year left to run on his deal, this seemed an inflated fee.

But this was not the only reason the England international’s arrival at Man Utd always seemed a little strange. Best occupying an advanced central midfield position, he was never likely to display Bruno Fernandes and made the decision to spend such a hefty fee on him questionable. And it’s not like United did not have other areas of the team to address.

On top of this, there were injury issues. The 25-year-old managed only 16 minutes of Premier League football between the beginning of March 2023 and the end of the season due to a pelvic problem.

And having failed to heed this warning, Man Utd have seen his issues flair up again.

Mount started the season quietly, failing to register a goal or an assist in the Premier League. He was hampered by an injury that saw him miss out for a month in August and since picking up a further problem against Luton in November has been absent.

Expected to return after the international break, Mount has been given assurances over his future at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils intent on keeping him, according to GiveMeSport.

Mount hasn't worked... yet

Clearly, Man Utd’s decision to sign Mount has been a mistake. While the fee was fair if the player was fit, this has been proven very obviously not the case.

The physical problems have seen his ETV slide from €74m a year ago to €54m now.

But that is no reason for United to give up on Mount now, particularly with the summer restructure impending.

Characters like Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have to be higher on the hitlist of players to offload than someone who at 25 still has their peak years ahead of him.

Mount may have been miscast when he was signed for such a big fee last summer, but offloading him again before he’s had a chance to sign would just be compounding that mistake with another.

Read more about: Premier League, Chelsea, Man Utd, Mason Mount