Man Utd could soon welcome back their £60m summer signing but his role in the team is not so sure.

Man Utd could soon welcome back their £60m summer signing but his role in the team is not so sure.

Mason Mount is close to a return
Mason Mount will soon be available again for Manchester United. You might not notice right away. He has been sidelined since November 11 with a calf problem and last started a Premier League game on October 7. It’s not exactly the return Erik ten Hag hoped for when he identified him as his top midfield target a year ago.

Mount joined United from Chelsea for £60million in the last summer window and has been ‘struggling’ with injury issues since August. It begs the question of how much United knew of the extent of his injury issues before he joined.

The England international did not start in any of Chelsea’s last 18 matches of the 2022–23 campaign due to a pubis injury, and he has started nine games in the last year, completing 90 minutes only once. It would be a surprise if he played a full game before the end of the campaign.

That’s not because of further fitness concerns, but because of the fact he won’t be starting matches in the first place. What is so alarming is that even when he is fit, it is hard to see exactly where he fits into the United side, a problem that has worsened during his spell on the sidelines.

Mount was signed to be the link man in midfield, tasked with progressing the play from defence to attack and bringing composure to the role. Kobbie Mainoo has proven to be that man instead.

In the five matches that Mount and Casemiro played together at the start of the campaign, United struggled for a midfield presence, with the duo struggling to match the physicality of the Premier League.

Mount’s case is again not helped by the fact teenager Mainoo has shone with his physicality as well as his ball-playing ability, showcasing both silk and steel during his senior breakthrough.

The former Chelsea midfielder is now a backup at best for United, behind Mainoo in the progressive midfield role and still behind club captain Bruno Fernandes in the more advanced attacking midfield role too.

It is not necessarily the biggest blow to have a player like Mount on the bench, though it once again undermines Ten Hag’s own eye for talent and the huge amount of money invested in a squad player, which left them short of funds to strengthen the squad in the January window.

Mount is also not helped by the fact United look to have finally solved their right-wing dilemma. Up until late December, there was no outstanding candidate to occupy the right-flank role, a position that he had shone in during his time at Chelsea.

The 25-year-old looked like an ideal big-game player thanks to his energy, pressing ability, and defensive discipline, but Ten Hag will favour the attacking threat of Alejandro Garnacho in that position instead.

There could still be occasions in which United decide Mount is worthy of a position switch out wide to help them against some strong possession-based opponents, though there are few opportunities for that to be tested between now and the end of the season.

As he nears a return to injury, Mount will be desperate to make up for lost time. The bad news for him is that others made the most of it instead.