[Highfather_24]

I'll be up front about the fact I was sceptical about signing Mason Mount from the get go. We needed a central midfield upgrade. We bought an attacking midfielder. Now we're trying to shoehorn him into a deeper position, just like we tried with Van de Beek, just like we tried with Eriksen (surprisingly worked against low quality teams). Why not just spend £55 million on a proper box-to-box midfielder? Mount's strengths, such as they are, are not in areas where we needed reinforcing.

Did it with Pogba too. Its the United way.

 

[Cnaiür urs Skiötha]

I am convinced he would be a decent player at Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Brighton etc.
Surely not the best but he would contribute in a positive way.
However, he surely is not someone who you build your team around. Donny 2.0 really hits the nail on the head.

 

[UnitedWA]

What a luck he had to have to become a fkin football player and earn so much money (while doing absolutely nothing) while many of us spent 20 years in schools and work worse jobs for few dollars... It's so frustrating sometimes.

 

[Lyng]

I mean I can clap the fans too after every game. Still doesn't mean he wasn't anonymous tonight. What a terrible terrible signing.

To be fair he was the only player who did it. The rest hurried down the tunnel according to Andy Tate.

 

[OleGunnar20]

Can we get Lingod back dya think or is he too busy designing glow in the dark sandals or some shite? At the very least lining up with the following would have us under no illusions of what was to come:

Lingard
VDB - Mount

 

[ayushreddevil9]

He's not an 8. WTF was ETH thinking with this?

Next year he is gonna buy a striker to play midfield role.

 

[ti vu]

Next year he is gonna buy a striker to play midfield role.

Already did that last season, by loaning in Weghorst and playing him in midfield.

 

[MadMike]

He’s not playing well at all and he might be an expensive flop, but I have some sympathy for him. And he’s not the only one I feel this way for, Hojlund is another one.

He’s come to a new team that is in terrible form for some time (since last 3rd of last season), a team with an injury and confidence crisis, a team that can’t possibly be coached too well because it is leaking goals like a sieve and really struggling to create anything at all in the final 3rd, whichever set of players we throw onto the pitch… and on top of that he’s being asked to play as an #8 which he clearly isn’t.

We have our long-serving, catalyst players like Bruno and Rashford looking utterly abysmal. And so is Casemiro who was pivotal last season. It would take something really special from Mount to stand out in this mess. There’s a decent player in there, maybe not as good as some of the high expectations given the priority assigned to him in the summer and the transfer fee paid. But still better than this.

 

[Gordon Godot]

Already did that last season, by loaning in Weghorst and playing him in midfield.

Yep, Weghorst was when I really began to question him, a terrible signing and then persisting with him and even playing him in midfield. He was awful, I suspect this was when some players began to question him

 

[Kostov]

Mount is not a bad player, but he was not what we needed and now he is utilized in a role he obviously isn't good enough. Very costly mistake by a manager who badly needed a CM/CDM to stabilize the midfield. And the most shocking thing is, many posters on here raised this same concern even when first reports were getting out, how a PL manager paid millions could not see this, is mind boggling.

 

[UnitedSofa]

 

[fergiewherearethou]

What a luck he had to have to become a fkin football player and earn so much money (while doing absolutely nothing) while many of us spent 20 years in schools and work worse jobs for few dollars... It's so frustrating sometimes.

True but millions of fans don't enjoy watching you work.

 

[ToToMarshall]

Next year he is gonna buy a striker to play midfield role.

Already did that last season, by loaning in Weghorst and playing him in midfield.

Funny thing is City are doing this with Alvarez in midfield and he's been one of their best players this season. Suppose that's the difference between Alvarez and Weghorst, City's squad and United's squad and Pep and Ten Hag.

 

[Lash]

I didn't think he was that bad, was definitely trying too hard with his shooting and rushed in general. Relative to the rest of the team, he was by far from the worst.

 

[saivet]

Mount is not a bad player, but he was not what we needed and now he is utilized in a role he obviously isn't good enough. Very costly mistake by a manager who badly needed a CM/CDM to stabilize the midfield. And the most shocking thing is, many posters on here raised this same concern even when first reports were getting out, how a PL manager paid millions could not see this, is mind boggling.

Yeah the idea that he could transform Mount into a deeper CM to play alongside Bruno was fanciful. A Bruno replacement would have been one thing, a Bruno back up would have been just a waste of funds given other priorities.

Like you, I don't think he is a bad player but not a special one and more importantly just seemed like a strange profile to go for.

 

[ti vu]

Funny thing is City are doing this with Alvarez in midfield and he's been one of their best players this season. Suppose that's the difference between Alvarez and Weghorst, City's squad and United's squad and Pep and Ten Hag.

City set up is very different due to Bernardo Silva and Foden are comfortable drifting in central position to create midfield number advantage, then allow Alvarez to push up in CF in certain situation.

With us last season, when Weghorst played in midfield, Bruno was shifted to the wing and he was mostly nullified there. The other wing is either Sancho, Garnacho, or Antony (vs Liverpool) are just your typical wing attacker where they stay wide. Weghorst couldn't keep up with the pace of our transition. Strangely enough if Fred, or Sabitzer played (Eriksen was out injured for most part during this period), they were the ones to join the attack, where as Weghorst usually stuck in deeper no man land position. That's the key difference to Alvarez who joined Haaland at the tip of City attack.

 

[Godfather]

Lingard comes to mind watching him. Without the odd important goal.

 

[ToToMarshall]

City set up is very different due to Bernardo Silva and Foden are comfortable drifting in central position to create midfield number advantage, then allow Alvarez to push up in CF in certain situation.

With us last season, when Weghorst played in midfield, Bruno was shifted to the wing and he was mostly nullified there. The other wing is either Sancho, Garnacho, or Antony (vs Liverpool) are just your typical wing attacker where they stay wide. Weghorst couldn't keep up with the pace of our transition. Strangely enough if Fred, or Sabitzer played (Eriksen was out injured for most part during this period), they were the ones to join the attack, where as Weghorst usually stuck in deeper no man land position. That's the key difference to Alvarez who joined Haaland at the tip of City attack.

Weghorst is also megashite

 

[VorZakone]

What is he good at? He is not really a dribbler but neither can he consistently spray passes like Modric or Xavi. He's also not a Kante-like player that wins the ball all game long.

 

[Dans]

Mount is the one player I feel looks like he's actually giving his all. Whether his all is enough is another matter, but at least he doesn't shirk his responsibilities like so many others.

 

[UnitedWA]

True but millions of fans don't enjoy watching you work.

True that, but you want to say someone is enjoying watching his football?

 

[Sunny Jim]

at least i noticed him yesterday. He got passed by for their 1st goal like training cone.

 

[VP89]

What is he good at? He is not really a dribbler but neither can he consistently spray passes like Modric or Xavi. He's also not a Kante-like player that wins the ball all game long.

He's actually very good at ball carrying, press resistant, clever movement and is technically competent.
HOWEVER he is going to look absolutely lost in a team that's not set.

 

[Gordon Godot]

He's actually very good at ball carrying, press resistant, clever movement and is technically competent.
HOWEVER he is going to look absolutely lost in a team that's not set.

That may be true, lets see, but equally we should never have signed a player that needs everything 'set' to thrive.

 

[VP89]

That may be true, lets see, but equally we should never have signed a player that needs everything 'set' to thrive.

I agree. I still like Mount, think its a bit early to evaluate him as a hit or a flop for us. But I do agree that he should have come in when we had our long term midfield duo set and it working complimentary on paper with his skillset.

 

[spiriticon]

This message should be hung outside the Man United manager's office:

WARNING: "Do not sign 'system players' before you have implemented a working 'system'"

 

[Champ]

That may be true, lets see, but equally we should never have signed a player that needs everything 'set' to thrive.

I don't think Mount needs everything 'set' to thrive, just a semblance of cohesion within the Midfield and attack would assist him.

I thought he looked sharp, willing and decent last night, trying hard without ever really being able to affect things. When there's minimal movement ahead of him he isn't ever going to shine.
Rewatch the game last night and you'll be able to count on one hand the amount of runs into space there were from attacking players when Mount had the ball.

 

[zurnalist]

I think it's still the same Mount who had a nightmarish last season in the Chelsea shirt. People seem to love him and give him a lot of credit for some abstract things. But for example, his strong suit in Chelsea at first was his shooting and goalscoring. He isn't doing that anymore and moreover, his shooting has been abmyssal. I just don't get how professional footballers lose a ability like that.

 

[yamo123x]

Agree he is specific player who is lost in this type of team who cannot keep the ball.

I genuinely think he will come good, he needs a goal ...he needs game time but as one of the front 3 not anywhere near the midfield.

 

[Champ]

I think it's still the same Mount who had a nightmarish last season in the Chelsea shirt. People seem to love him and give him a lot of credit for some abstract things. But for example, his strong suit in Chelsea at first was his shooting and goalscoring. He isn't doing that anymore and moreover, his shooting has been abmyssal. I just don't get how professional footballers lose a ability like that.

It isn't losing ability, it's confidence.

Look at Willocks goal last night, expertly taken due to being high on confidence, likewise Longstaffs shot in the second half that whistled wide by inches, caught it true because he was confident.
When you're confident you don't overthink things, technique comes natural, hence strikers often score in gluts due to this.

Mount was in a poor Chelsea team before he came to us, before that he was in a very good Chelsea team. He was injured long term and suffered from a lack of confidence.

 

[Stacks]

Just based on his United games so far, I can't really tell you anything about Mount other than that he seems to struggle to be involved in football games.

I don't really notice him when he plays, and it kind of feels like when you've an academy kid playing and he's just a bit invisible and awkward. The money we paid for him at this stage looks criminal. Bebe level dodgy even!

he's averaging roughly 20 passes per game in the league. 0.3 crosses per game, 0.7 long balls, 0 through balls, 0.5 shots and 0.7 key passes. He's a real game changer
,

 

[EasyE]

Mount is the one player I feel looks like he's actually giving his all. Whether his all is enough is another matter, but at least he doesn't shirk his responsibilities like so many others.

Not sure what game you were watching but he ducked away for their second goal (volley) and numerous times he gave the ball away and gave a half arsed chase. He's beyond useless. He's even lost his Chelsea 'bite' that he had.

We should just retire the No.7 because anyone who dons it becomes a shell of a man.

 

[Darlington Padgett]

He's actually very good at ball carrying, press resistant, clever movement and is technically competent.
HOWEVER he is going to look absolutely lost in a team that's not set.

He's also good at crossing the ball but we rarely have any players to cross the ball to.

 

[Red Star One]

I love the fact we are a global brand with hundreds of millions of people who grew up dreaming of playing in United shirt, me included, but I have to say I am getting a bit tired with the excuse (or just an argument) of "he loves the club, he's always passionate, he shows he cares" - obviously it's super important, but it's never going to be enough. Wout gave his best and loved the fact he's United player, but was way below standard required. Same goes to Amrabat this season. I hope Mount has a brighter future ahead of him than just "had a bad/average game again, but at least he worked his socks off and loves the shirt" - for 70m player on the last year of his contract you'd expect much more.

 

[NZT-One]

This message should be hung outside the Man United manager's office:

WARNING: "Do not sign 'system players' before you have implemented a working 'system'"

Very true.

 

[tentan]

So he should get a free pass?

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

He looks uncomfortable receiving the ball in that advanced 8 position

 

[Ali Dia]

I feel bad for him. I doubt he ever thought he was going to come into this. Anything that could go wrong with the club has really

 

[FrankWhite]

I think the problem is more ETH than Mount or any other player right now. None of our players look comfortable. The system he's playing seems to be very marginal, offensively and defensively. Sure he's missing two left footed starters which is clearly affecting the way he likes to play, still, he had to adapt and simplify the game for the players he's got right now.

 

[ti vu]

I think the problem is more ETH than Mount or any other player right now. None of our players look comfortable. The system he's playing seems to be very marginal, offensively and defensively. Sure he's missing two left footed starters which is clearly affecting the way he likes to play, still, he had to adapt and simplify the game for the players he's got right now.

Mount had been out of form at Chelsea too.

ETH tactic doesn't help, but ultimately the key players who carry this team are currently out of form. Even the best teams still rely on key players. ETH current system is still over reliant on individual brilliance. The bit part players are not influential nor impactful enough to take the responsibility. And Mount is an example of bit part player. To simplify the game, Mount would stay on the bench or being used to rotate on right wing, because he's no 8, nor he's disputing Bruno as no 10. Both have been out of form, but Bruno is the captain with more credit in the bank in this team