From left to right: Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund walk out with mascots at Old Trafford ahead of the win over Bodo/Glimt.
Mason Mount (centre) will be determined to get his Manchester United career going.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has wasted very little time in outlining just how much admiration he has for Mason Mount.
The 25-year-old made his first start for United since the 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in August on Thursday evening, helping the Reds beat Bodo/Glimt 3-2 in the Europa League at Old Trafford.
Storing 59 minutes under his belt, the former Chelsea man was inches away from scoring his first Old Trafford goal, striking the crossbar in the second half. Had his effort been an inch or two lower, it would have marked just his second goal in United colours.
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After experiencing an injury nightmare since arriving from Chelsea in July 2023, Mount is determined to make up for lost time. He has featured in Amorim's first two games in charge, and the Portuguese head coach has explained just how eager he is for him to remain fit.
"First thing is he is working really hard," Amorim said. "And then you have to understand the human also. He wants this really badly. That is the most important thing. I think he has proven to all of you that he is a talented player. He was a European champion.
"So we believe a lot in him. He has to stay fit. And like all the guys in the team, they are quality players, they have to improve and believe in themselves.
"Today, he did a great job, and you see in some moments and details that you can see Mason Mount is a proper footballer. So we believe a lot in him, I especially believe a lot in Mason Mount."
Mount started in the forward line against Bodo/Glimt, operating in one of the two No.10 positions, supporting Rasmus Hojlund. He was very energetic out of possession, assisting with the pressing game Amorim is hungry to implement.
The former Derby County loanee soon became a key player after a mid-season managerial change at Chelsea in January 2021, thriving under Thomas Tuchel after he replaced Frank Lampard. Tuchel soon installed a 3-4-3 system at Chelsea and it became the driving force behind their resurgence that season that resulted in them winning the Champions League.
Mason Mount excelled under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. (Image: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images.)
Mount often played in the forward line in the aforementioned system at Stamford Bridge, and it was a role Tuchel felt he was perfect for.
Speaking after Mount had plundered a hat-trick in a 7-0 demolition of Norwich City in October 2021, Tuchel said: "As you know, we play in most games with three strikers and Mason is one of them. You can say he's maybe between an eight and a No.10, so not a real striker, so in that way we really depend on him. He plays a key role.
"The wing-backs play with more freedom to help our strikers really in the last line and they feel more and more confident. It's a complex game. There's very rarely one reason why things happen like this – but we depend on Mason and we want to.
"We like his style, where he comes from, his personality and he's a top guy. So we're very happy for him."
Amorim has wasted no time in installing a 3-4-3 system at Old Trafford himself, with plenty of onus on the wing-backs to provide width. Mount shone in that particular system at Chelsea and it is already evident Amorim is hopeful of him doing the same at Old Trafford in an attempt to kickstart his United career.
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