Michael Carrick giving the thumps-up
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Manchester United have an extra option for the double pivot thanks to Mason Mount and his pre-season exploits in the deeper role.
The Red Devils parted ways with Casemiro, who joined Inter Miami on a free transfer and lost Manuel Ugarte to a long-term injury, while Bruno Fernandes rightfully returned to his original No.10 role.
This left Kobbie Mainoo as the only available out-and-out central midfielder at Michael Carrick’s disposal, forcing the management to plot a midfield revamp.
Mason Mount thriving in central midfielder role
Last month, Man Utd acquired the services of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for a combined £83 million.
However, most sources insist Jason Wilcox and his men are still searching the market for one more player to round off the midfield department.
The Red Devils are being linked with French international duo Manu Kone and Aurelien Tchouameni among a host of potential candidates for the role, but they have yet to make a decisive push on any track thus far.
In the meantime, Carrick has been deploying Mount, an attacking midfielder by trade, in double pivot alongside Santos, while awaiting for Mainoo and Tielemans to return to the fold.
The unlikely duo produced another convincing display on Saturday, as the Premier League giants completed a come-from-behind win in their friendly against Atletico Madrid.
While Bryan Mbeumo stole the limelight with his brace, Mount’s outing certainly didn’t go unnoticed, as the Englishman controlled the tempo of the game, orchestrated the play, and brought the ball forward.
In his post-match ratings, The Sun correspondent Samuel Luchkhurst gave the former Chelsea star the highest grade (7/10) among MUFC players, alongside Mbeumo and Shea Lacey, as well as Jack Fletcher who came off the pitch and played a decisive role the winner.
“Another impressive performance from the midfielder,” wrote the journalist when discussing Mount’s outing.
“Mount’s sharpness on the ball led to an early shot from Shaw and he played Mbeumo in to win a free kick that Amad nearly scored from.”
Should Mount’s exploits prompt Man United to avoid spending on another midfielder?
Based on his convincing outings in the middle of the park, Carrick can rest assured he has a trusted deep-lying playmaker capable of producing the goods if paired with the right midfield partner.
In essence, the England international can be a like-for-like Mainoo replacement. The two men played side by side on the final day of the previous campaign. And although the Reds went on to beat Brighton 3-0, this partnership might be too light, especially when facing stronger opposition.
Nevertheless, Mount and Santos appear to complement one another, forming a playmaker/enforcer sort of balance. It would be curious to see how either of them would fare alongside the all-rounder Tielemans.
But even though Mount is offering Carrick an extra solution, most observers would agree that the department ideally needs another body, one capable of adding energy and covering large acres of space.
However, if the market doesn’t offer Man Utd a suitable solution for a reasonable price, at least the manager will know he could resort to Mount, in addition to promoting Jack and/or Tyler Fletcher.