Mason Mount wants to overcome a difficult start to his Manchester United career by winning the Europa League on Wednesday night.
Manchester United take on Tottenham in what will be the fourth time that two teams from the same country have contested the Europa League final.
The Red Devils would become the fourth team to win Europe’s second-tier competition without losing a match, following in the footsteps of Chelsea (2009), Villarreal (2021), and Eintracht Frankfurt (2022).
United booked their place in the final after beating Athletic Club in the semi-finals. The first leg finished 3-0, with the Spanish club down to 10 men. They were unable to claw their way back into the tie at Old Trafford, losing 4-1 as Mason Mount scored two goals in his best 20 minutes as a United player.
On the other hand, Tottenham eliminated Bødo/Glimt in the semi-finals, and they will be confident going into the game having already beaten United three times this season.
Ruben Amorim has several decisions to make with his team ahead of the final, while the same can be said for Ange Postecoglou, as both managers deal with multiple injuries.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Mason Mount opens up on his struggles at Manchester United
Mount accepts that he has had a “difficult” start to his United career after his first two years at the club were heavily impacted by injuries.
The England international has been unable to cement his place in the team since moving to Old Trafford, but he has performed well since returning from his most recent injury setback.
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Mount could be in contention to start against Tottenham on Wednesday night, after starting in three of United’s last four matches.
Since his £60m transfer to United in 2023, Mount has managed to complete 90 minutes just once, which has led to the admission that his time at Old Trafford has been “tough”.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Europa League final, Mount said: “The injuries are something that obviously I didn’t see coming.
“That’s not been easy, but I’ve stayed very focused throughout that whole time,” Mount said, as quoted by ESPN. “I always had the end goal in my mind that it would come good and something will happen and I’ll get a moment where I’ll score a few goals or something will happen.
“It’s not been easy for me, not being on the pitch and being in the stands watching games. The fans see that as I’m not playing.
“I want to be out there doing as much as I can to help the lads, help the club, help the team to win games. It’s not been easy but I’ve stuck with it. I’ve seen a lot of comments and praise recently and I’ll continue to work hard.”
What winning the Europa League would mean for Mount
Having won the Champions League during his time at Chelsea and scoring in the final, Mount brings a wealth of experience with him into the Europa League final.
As someone used to the big occasion, Mount has a chance to win a second European Cup.
He has reflected on a difficult 2024/25 campaign for the team and explained what winning the Europa League would mean for Amorim’s side.
“I feel we’re close,” Mount added.
“It’s small details here and there in games. Especially in the Premier League. If the small details aren’t right you can get punished. It can be devastating at times. In the Premier League it’s fine margins.
“I think we’re close to correcting them and when you win trophies you get extra confidence. It builds and you build that togetherness as a group. We want to finish on a positive note and next season come back and work hard in preseason and then attack it again.
“As a group, we always try to block out the noise. We know the situation we are in. We know the league is not good enough, but the Europa League is something that we look forward to and it’s a final.
“It’s a trophy and it’s Champions League football next season. We will do everything in our power to win that game. We won’t forget about what we have done in the league and our league form.
“That is something we need to work on for next season. We know we need to work on that. This is a final. If we can win it, it can be a positive end to a tough season.”