Thing haven’t gone to plan for the 26-year-old since he left boyhood club Chelsea for the bright lights of Old Trafford all the way back in the summer of 2023. Injuries and seemingly never-ending turmoil at the club have set him back time and time again.
Now he’s fully fit, Amorim picked him instead of £67.5 million summer signing Matheus Cunha in the much-needed 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday (October 4), and he scored the opening goal with a lovely little half volley after just eight minutes.
He’s been universally loved by every manager he’s played under, so could Mount be a secret weapon for Amorim?
On the same wavelength
Amorim has used Mount anywhere from a false nine to a left wingback so far this season. Following Benjamin Sesko’s limited pre-season, he was given the nod up top for their opening Premier League game against Arsenal.
It ultimately ended in defeat for United, as most games do at the moment, but Mount proved just why he’s always been so valued, ending the game having created two chances, made two recoveries, totalling three defensive contributions altogether.
Some would say they want their attacking midfielders to have more attacking numbers, and that is a valid criticism of Mount, but at a time when nothing is going right for United, having someone on the pitch with such a remarkable work rate is valuable.
Amorim has shown a lot of faith in Mount, and the feeling appears to be mutual. The Englishman spoke of the squad backing the beleaguered coach after the win over Sunderland at Old Trafford.
"We're 100% behind the gaffer. We've had some difficult results that hurt us, have been painful for the team, the staff and the fans, but today it was important to win,” he said.
Mount hopes that the win over Sunderland can be the start of a winning streak, adding: "It needs to be – we thought after Chelsea it would be the start of something and then we go to Brentford and have a disappointing result.
“It starts today and we'll be working hard over the break. We want to get back-to-back wins, then three in a row and push on for the top four."
What is Mason Mount’s best position?
If Amorim persists with his much criticised 3-4-3 system, Mount’s best position would be as the left sided number ten. It’s the position he flourished in under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea, where he went on to win the biggest trophy in club football.
It’s also where he played in the victory over Sunderland. Ideally, you want a right-footed inside-left to find pockets of space between the lines and thread passes through to other attackers.
That’s what he did, ending the game with an 84% pass accuracy rate, four touches in the opposition box, and three passes into the final third. With Bryan Mbeumo in the other ten, United were looking like a cohesive attacking unit.
The only thing, or person, standing in his way now is Cunha. The Brazilian hasn’t started well, although no one at United really has this season, but he will expect to start almost every game considering his big transfer.
Mount isn’t the type of player to kick up a fuss if he isn’t playing, he’s often been labeled a ‘teacher’s pet’ throughout his short career, but he’s not a wing-back, an nor is he a striker, so if United want to get the best out of him, Amorim will have a big decision to make.
What does Mason Mount offer that other that Matheus Cunha doesn’t?
Cunha, Mount’s biggest positional competition, is a lot like Mbeumo. While he does work hard, the Brazilian has less of a defensive output compared to Mount and isn’t as willing to come further back to receive the ball.
In the win over Sunderland, there was several occasions in which Mount received the ball from Casemiro while in the left wing back position, sitting deeper than the defensive midfielder, allowing Bruno Fernandes to affect the game a little further up the field.
For his goal, Mount is happy to hang back and allow for Sesko and Amad Diallo to occupy the Sunderland defenders and when he received the ball from Mbeumo’s cross, he is completely unmarked. His first touch is then sublime, and the finish is even better.
Cunha has found himself in the same goalscoring positions as this, but hasn’t been clinical enough, either hitting the woodwork or an opposition defender, like his strike that hit the right post in the 1-1 draw with Fulham.
Mount is also a high intensity pressure, while Cunha isn’t as much. Mount has won possession in the final third three times in the Premier League this season, he also has a 51.7% duel win rate and a 57.1 aerial duel win rate from his 274 minutes played.
Cunha, on the other hand, has won the ball back in the final third more with four, but his duel success rates aren’t as impressive, with 39.7% on the ground and 17.6% in the air despite having played 78 minutes more.
Verdict
Should Mount stay fit for most of the season, he’s one of the few players that could flourish in Amorim’s system as it is. Given his work rate and seeming willingness to run through a wall for his manager, Amorim would be wise to keep him in the starting eleven, at least for now.