Manchester United summer signing Mason Mount struggled on his debut against Wolves on Monday evening.
After a game, it emerged that the former Chelsea player had contributed next to nothing both in attack or defence, with talkSPORT sharing these stats following the final whistle:
Mason Mount vs Wolves
0 goals
0 assists
0 chances created
0 crosses
0 tackles won
0 accurate crosses
0 aerial duels won pic.twitter.com/Rksf9AIDnk— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 14, 2023
Clearly, Mount has a lot of work to do if he is to justify the £55m that the Red Devils spent on him, and fans on X did not hold back in their criticism of the England international:
Stinker
— Freddy (@fredmufcdon) August 14, 2023
Underwhelming
— The Regulator (@klintch) August 14, 2023
Dunno why we bought him
— N.D red devil united (@Reddevil897) August 14, 2023
🚮
— NorfGonzo (@1Gonzo07) August 14, 2023
He got bullied in the first half, made some adjustments in the 2nd half but needs to be more confident about being decisive and making quick passes
— Previn Naidu 🇺🇸🇸🇬🌉🗽 (@PrevDiesel) August 15, 2023
he was terrible, to say the least
— KR. (@karabomothibi_) August 15, 2023
Poor.
— beyond repair (@jchakrab0rty) August 14, 2023
Ten Hag defended Mount’s performance
In his post-match press conference, manager Erik ten Hag was asked to assess the midfielder’s first competitive match for United, and the Dutchman said he was happy with what he saw:
“Good performance. He did what we expected him to do. He had a very good level in the game. I think he did his job. It was a moderate game. I think he did well.”
Obviously, ten Hag is not going to publicly criticise one of his new signings but he will be expecting a lot more from Mount in the future.
United’s midfield problem
There are concerns about how both Mount and captain Bruno Fernandes can play in a midfield three. There were plenty of times on Monday night when Wolves were able to counter-attack into space, with Casemiro as the lone holder.
Mount and Fernandes like to get forward, and they were leaving huge gaps for their opponents to exploit when possession was lost. It was a point that Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville highlighted after the game. Despite winning against Wolves, United could be exposed against better opponents so changing the midfield setup is something that may have to be considered.
