Mason Mount: What would the England midfielder bring to Manchester United?

1 year ago 24

Mason Mount and Casemiro situation for the shot arsenic Chelsea play Manchester United

Mason Mount is simply a apical people for Manchester United arsenic manager Erik 10 Hag looks to inject caller impetus into his broadside and physique connected an encouraging archetypal play successful charge.

The woody has immoderate mode to spell earlier we mightiness spot the 24-year-old England midfielder posing astatine Old Trafford with a reddish shirt, with the clubs inactive divided connected the player's valuation.

United look determined to get their man, making a 3rd bid of £55m, arsenic negotiations continue.

Mount has been an important subordinate for Chelsea since breaking into their archetypal squad successful 2019-20, but volition helium acceptable successful astatine Manchester United? And how?

'A apical subordinate and a apical lad'

United's involvement successful Mount is understandable.

Here is an industrious, intelligent, originative midfielder, entering his premier with a wealthiness of Premier League and planetary acquisition nether his belt. What is not to like? Digging deeper lone makes the lawsuit much compelling.

Since making his Blues debut successful 2019 - pursuing palmy indebtedness spells successful the Netherlands with Vitesse Arnhem and the Championship with Derby - Mount has amassed 195 appearances for the club, scoring 33 goals.

He helped Chelsea triumph the Champions League successful 2021, starting successful the last against Manchester City, and besides has Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup medals successful his collection.

Like galore successful Chelsea's squad past season, Mount struggled with form, which was compounded by wounded issues. In what became a turbulent and fraught run for the Blues, seeing them decorativeness 12th successful the Premier League, helium was targeted for maltreatment by immoderate fans connected societal media.

However, helium has fewer bigger advocates than the antheral who was his brag connected indebtedness astatine Derby, handed him his Chelsea debut and nether whose absorption helium spent the backmost extremity of 2022-23.

"I'm not going to archer anyone what sentiment they should person connected football, but if anyone thinks Mason Mount is not already a top-level subordinate past I'm not definite what they're seeing, successful my opinion," said Frank Lampard successful April.

"From moving with Mason, you tin inquire myself, you tin inquire Thomas Tuchel, you tin inquire Gareth Southgate, you tin inquire Graham Potter. It's wide he's a apical subordinate and a apical lad.

"One happening I cognize astir Mason, the archetypal happening a apical subordinate should person is simply a existent hunger to win and play and bash good for Chelsea, and he's had that since the archetypal time I took him to Derby. That's elemental for me. He's inactive a young player. He tin spell adjacent further but he's already a apical player."

It is simply a sentiment echoed by England brag Gareth Southgate, who has fixed the subordinate 36 caps, including 4 astatine the World Cup finals successful Qatar.

"He is an exceptional player," said Southgate. "He finds abstraction intelligently, helium manipulates the shot precise well, helium creates chances and helium scores goals."

Southgate's England person benefited to the tune of 5 goals from Mount during his planetary career. His champion scoring play for Chelsea came successful 2021-22, successful which helium provided 13 crossed each competitions. The 58 chances helium created that play were besides the astir of immoderate Chelsea player.

An upgrade connected Eriksen astatine Old Trafford?

Christian Eriksen holds the shorts of Mason Mount arsenic Manchester United look Chelsea

Mount is simply a versatile midfielder, susceptible of operating successful an attacking relation astatine fig 10, oregon successful from the close oregon left. He's adjacent occasionally operated arsenic a mendacious 9 for the Blues.

He would beryllium an enactment successful a beforehand 3 down a cardinal striker, but with Bruno Fernandes, Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Christian Eriksen, Ten Hag is hardly abbreviated of players successful that role. Marcus Rashford is different subordinate who could play successful that three, peculiarly if United motion a striker this summer.

Another imaginable relation for Mount astatine United would beryllium successful a deeper position, operating alongside Casemiro arsenic a progressive passer successful a midfield two.

It is simply a spot that was occupied predominantly by Eriksen, erstwhile fit, oregon Marcel Sabitzer past play for United.

With Sabitzer having returned to Bayern Munich pursuing his indebtedness spell and Eriksen into his 30s, United could spot Mount arsenic a younger, much mobile upgrade for a originative relation from deep.

Since making his Premier League debut successful August 2019, helium has 22 assists to his sanction - 26 players person much successful the English apical formation successful that timescale.

In the 2021-22 league run - the past successful which helium featured for much than 2,000 minutes - helium averaged 6.25 progressive passes per 90 minutes (putting him successful the 93rd percentile according to fbref.com, making him 1 of the amended performers amongst his peers successful the division).

He besides averaged, per 90 minutes, 2.21 cardinal passes (90th percentile), 0.26 expected assists (97th percentile) and 4.53 shot-creating actions (87th percentile).

In signing Mount, United would beryllium making a connection of intent to footwear connected from a bully archetypal play nether Ten Hag that delivered their archetypal portion of silverware successful six years - the Carabao Cup - and saw them instrumentality to the Champions League.

Question marks implicit Sancho oregon Antony?

BBC Sport's Simon Stone: "The determination for Mount is simply a fascinating development, if lone due to the fact that Manchester United would look to person greater priorities successful different areas of the transportation and the regularisation connected their summertime fund is good known.

He intelligibly doesn't code the centre guardant presumption which is an evident country of weakness and helium is not supplementing the antiaircraft midfield portion either.

However, what Mount is providing is different originative option. In summation to being capable to find country successful choky spaces and having the imaginativeness to unfastened up defences, Gareth Southgate has felt Mount is diligent successful his antiaircraft work, which is thing United person had a occupation with and manager Erik 10 Hag is keen to solve.

It would besides mean determination was not arsenic overmuch request to play Christian Eriksen rather truthful often as, aft the Dane returned from wounded past season, helium didn't person a sustained interaction crossed the full game.

Nevertheless, if Ten Hag continues to run with 3 attacking players down a cardinal striker, and Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes are some deemed automatic choices, it does spot question marks implicit Jadon Sancho and Antony, who betwixt them outgo United successful excess of £150m."

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