Introduction
A dedicated professional, a hard worker, and a keen learner, what can Man United fans expect from Mason Mount at Old Trafford?
Strengths
Front Foot Defending
None of Mount’s strengths are more apparent than his relentless workrate. In the mould of Bruno Fernandes, the Englishman is an energetic presser, often the first to try and win the ball back. His raw defensive stats are impressive (as are Fernandes’), ranking in the top 13% of attacking midfielders/wingers for tackles (in the last year as of the 4th of July), while also ranking in the top 6% for tackles in the middle third, and top 7% for tackles in the final third.
He ranks highly in many other defensive metrics, and so he’d definitely be an upgrade in terms of Eriksen’s approach to front foot defending.
Goal Threat
While the 22/23 season was quite poor for Mason Mount, his 20/21, and 21/22 seasons were far more impressive, registering 12 goals and 9 assists, and 13 goals and 17 assists in the respective seasons. Just because the last year has gone poorly, both on and off the field, it doesn’t mean this ability to score and create goals has vanished.
Other than being an excellent ball striker from inside the box, Mount also has the ability to shoot from range. Top teams need players capable from distance, and this should help United break down deep blocks.
Speed
For a midfielder, he certainly has the speed required to burst past opponents, and arrive into the box in order to finish off chances.
However, what Mount seems really good at is carrying the ball towards the box at speed, and getting either a shot or pass off. His athleticism in this regard will help ease the burden on Fernandes, as the Portugal international has had to do most of his team’s creative work in the middle and final thirds (he has been United’s only creative outlet).
Perhaps Mount can therefore compliment Fernandes, as while Mount is good at carrying, Fernandes’ final third passing and shooting actions are elite; Mount could help drive towards goal while the Portuguese could focus more on the final pass or the final shot (I can envisage a United goal involving Mount drifting infield from the left after receiving from Shaw, before supplying Fernandes who scores or assists).
Set Piece Taker
The more set piece takers you have in the team the better, and now that United have both Fernandes and Mount, corners could be particularly dangerous as one of the two could always be positioned on the edge of the box, ready to strike the ball, or resupply it into the penalty area.
Weaknesses
When the Ball Goes Behind Him…
While Mount is a good front foot defender, I would have concerns about when the ball goes behind him.
Mount will of course help United win the ball back, but against teams that are either vertical, or good at playing out from the back, there will still be problems.
Mount will press with everything he has, but he can struggle to track runners when in defensive positions, and he has a tendency to be too ball oriented, losing picture of what’s behind him in order to chase the player in possession. It’s partly why he’s rarely played in midfield (discussed below) as his pressing style is less costly out wide. Ten Hag could definitely coach this out of his game, and perhaps his aggressive style lends itself more to man-marking, but United fans shouldn’t expect immediate results defensively, particularly out of possession if Mount is played as the left 8.
This is often a problem with players whose natural instincts aren’t honed at an early age. With Mount, his time spent under Lampard at both Derby and at Chelsea can’t have helped with his development (other examples include Bruno Fernandes with Solskjær, and Jordan Henderson with Rodgers).
Lack of Experience in Midfield (Inconsistent in Forward Areas)
Mount’s natural instincts have been good enough to get him by under Lampard, but even with Tuchel in charge, Mount was often used out wide.
The reason Tuchel used him out wide was because Chelsea’s team wasn’t set up in terms of how he wanted to play; Tuchel only played a back three because the centre back and midfield profiles (including Mount) struggled in any other formation. This forced the Englishman out wide, and he’s rarely had a consistent period playing in an actual midfield role in his whole Chelsea career.
Mount is ultimately a natural midfielder, and his time out wide should help Rashford rotate centrally, but there could be problems defensively down that side as playing in midfield over a season is still something Mount might take time to adapt to.
Teams He Scores Against and Streaky Habits
In Mount’s best season productivity wise (21/22), his goal and assist record was impressive, but there are caveats.
It took him until his 19th game in all competitions to score his first goal, with three coming at once (as well as an assist) against Norwich in the Premier League. In the same 18 game period before Norwich, he only registered 2 assists (one against Arsenal and one against Hungary for England).
The remaining teams he scored against were Watford, West Ham, Leeds, Everton, Norwich again, Southampton, Real Madrid, Crystal Palace, and Leeds again. It’s not great, and his long spells without goals can be a concern.
Better coaching, and most importantly, a stable structure is needed to ensure Mount becomes a consistent goal threat.
How He’s Been Used at Chelsea — Many Different Managers With Different Styles
Not only has Mount been largely used in the forward line, he has also been playing under a number of different managers with extremely varied styles. He was initially managed by Lampard at Chelsea (for far too long), and this has been of extreme detriment to his all round development.
Under Tuchel, Mount was used much more effectively in the forward line as the German’s more defensive approach at Chelsea (he’s not a defensive manager despite his reputation in England) allowed him to get the best out of a poorly managed squad.
Tuchel’s system of pressing is a bit more reserved than his German counterpart Klopp, but when his team do press, they do so in an aggressive man-to-man style. In the Champions League final, Tuchel mirrored Man City’s in possession shape, and this simplicity helped Mount excel in the final.
Mount was tasked with defending narrowly in the half-space, and during periods where Chelsea were willing to sit deeper in a zonal block, Mount always had lots of defensive coverage around him, which meant that if the ball went behind him, it would be less costly
In possession, Mount was always a threat, and his assist in the final proved to be the winner, and it was from this point onwards that Mount should have been developed into an all round midfielder.
However, because Tuchel was let down by the owners, and the subsequent change in managers, Mount’s promising development stalled.
Graham Potter is a good developer of talent, but he clearly wasn’t ready for the Chelsea job, nor for the disruptive environment new ownership caused. Returning back to Lampard, even as interim, was a disaster, and it’s perhaps no wonder that Mount is still the inconsistent player he was a few years ago.
How He Might Be Used at United
Bruno Fernandes and Mount in a Box Midfield
There were some signs that ten Hag wanted to play a box midfield earlier in 22/23, but was forced to quickly abandon his plans. With the addition of Mount alongside Bruno Fernandes, United now have a left side, and right side dominant attacking midfielder.
In terms of attacking output, having the two of them at the top of a box would be exciting, and it would provide forwards like Rashford with more chances.
Given that Rashford prefers to move centrally, I would imagine Mount would often drift to the wing, and on the other side, Antony is more comfortable holding width, meaning Fernandes would have space to burst into the box, or to supply Rashford.
Too Similar?
There is an argument that the two players are too similar in style; both are frenetic pressers, often chasing the ball while giving as much as they can. However, if you look at other box midfields, there is more of an element of control with theirs.
Man City played De Bruyne and Gündoğan at the top of their box, with the Belgian taking more risk in his passing. Gündoğan, while an excellent goal threat, is more risk averse, recycling possession. The German is in the top 12% for midfielders in terms of pass completion (as of the 11th of July), whereas De Bruyne ranks in the bottom 8%.
Alexis Mac Allister will likely play a similar role to Gündoğan for Liverpool, and he ranks in the top 24% for pass completion, a stat likely to increase given Liverpool have better players.
Fernandes ranks in the bottom 11%, while Mount ranks in the bottom 17%. United might find that there is a lack of control in the advanced areas, particularly if those behind can’t control a game either.
Settled Defence Problems (Casemiro, Mount, Fernandes Three…)
Attacking wise, the box midfield definitely has potential for ten Hag. However, I would be very concerned about the balance and defensive ability of a Casemiro, Mount, and Fernandes midfield three. Casemiro is ageing, and had an outstanding season, but he needs help; while Mount and Fernandes can provide the speed and energy from midfield, they don’t provide the defensive coverage. Going up against Man City, or a rejuvenated Liverpool, with that midfield, especially when you consider that United won’t have the ball, is asking for trouble.
Concerns About How This Might Affect the Rest of the Team(either a fullback or martinez would form base of box midfield)
With the recent trend of having a midfield box, with three behind and three in front, I can see a number of possibilities with Man United going forward.
The front three will likely encompass Rashford on the left, a new striker, and Antony on the right.
Behind the front three, Fernandes must play in one of the advanced midfield roles. Mount will likely start on the left, with the Portuguese on the right.
The rest of the team is less certain. With Mount and Fernandes as advanced 8/10’s, there has to be more defensive solidity behind them.
Casemiro serves one of these roles, likely positioned on the right of pivot. His partner then, has to have both a degree of athleticism and on ball ability (to make up for Casemiro’s limitations). This pivot partner is vital, especially if ten Hag wants to go with two risk taking midfielders ahead of them.
One possibility is that ten Hag borrows from Man City’s team in 22/23 and tasks a centre back to step into midfield. Lisandro Martínez is one who might fill this role, with his ball playing and combative tendencies complimenting the offensive playstyle of the Fernandes and Mount. If he was to step forward, he would be positioned on the left, and the added benefit of being left footed means that if pressed to the touchline, he should be more comfortable than a right footed player.
This would mean Shaw would be converted into a central defender when in possession, but would still be a left-back out of possession. His experience playing in the backline in the 22/23 season might have prepared him well for this role, especially given that he looked unexpectedly natural there.
However, I would still have concerns about his lack of pace, as we’ve seen what can happen against quicker and more mobile opponents.
A Casemiro and Martínez pivot would be very slow, and given Mount and Fernandes have a particularly risky playstyle (which is normal for advanced players), the pair would have to perform lots of ball winning and ball recoveries, and it might prove to be too much in a league where teams are deadly in transition.
Additionally, Casemiro’s age would be a concern, as we can see with the likes of Fabinho (who’s younger than him) how quickly defensive midfielders can lose form.
Perhaps this formation would also limit Shaw, particularly as we’ve seen how potent he can be in attack. It would also mean that there isn’t really a place for Malacia in the team, as he’s not big enough to play as a centre-back in possession. Of course, United could revert to playing with traditional fullbacks, but perhaps consistency in formation and instructions would help his development more.
But finally, this supposed change in formation and the potential success of it is all predicated on whether United actually position their defensive line higher up the pitch, as we don’t know how Shaw, Martínez, and others would look like in a high line. The last time ten Hag tried to play with one, they were beaten heavily by Brentford, and were outplayed by Brighton.
There have also been plenty of links with right sided defenders, be it Frimpong or Pavard, and while these two profile very differently, ten Hag has shown a willingness with Dalot and Wan-Bissaka to invert his right-back, and so perhaps he plans to invert one of his wide defenders rather than one of his central defenders.
He might instead sign both and deploy Frimpong as a traditional fullback. The lineup would be very different from the above, with the final team perhaps having Martínez in midfield fulltime, Fernandes occupying a wide creative role (like Eriksen at Spurs), and a fullback would then overlap to provide the necessary width.
It would essentially drop back into a 4–4–2 out of possession, with either Mount or Rashford pressing alongside the striker, and while there would still be issues dealing with transition, the team would be better defensively in the base 4–4–2 compared to a midfield three of Mount, Fernandes and Casemiro.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the situation at United isn’t very clear, and the arrival of Mount likely signals the intention to play with two advanced midfielders. The question is, can Erik ten Hag set his team up to compliment Mount and Fernandes in the same team?
