Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
All eyes have been on whether Mason Mount can overcome Manchester United’s pre-season summer tour under Michael Carrick by avoiding any major setbacks.
Manchester United fans now struggle to keep their hopes high for Mason Mount after injury problems have curtailed his run at Old Trafford time after time.
Despite his injury-hit spell, Mount has shown why the likes of Ruben Amorim, Erik ten Hag and Michael Carrick have all thrown their backing behind him at United.
United manager Michael Carrick might be putting in the foundations for Mount to take up a strategic first-team role under him in the 2026-27 Premier League season.
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Could Mason Mount’s pre-season captaincy be an ‘audition’ for a Man Utd skipper’s armband order under Michael Carrick?
Mason Mount has worn the captain’s armband twice during the pre-season summer tour amid the absence of Red Devils and Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The 27-year-old former Chelsea star took on the captain’s armband in the second half of Man Utd’s 5-0 drubbing of Rosenborg at the Lerkendal Stadion in Norway.
Fast-forward from last month’s clash in Trondheim to the Strawberry Arena on Saturday and Mount wore the armband again in Man Utd’s win over Atletico Madrid.
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Mason Mount of Manchester United controls the ball during the pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Atletico de Madrid at Strawberry Arena on August 01, 2026 in Solna, Sweden.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Harry Maguire has been wearing the Man Utd captain’s armband again this summer and Michael Carrick could be exploring a new hierarchy order for the future.
As per Barcelona’s official website in 2024, the La Liga club had a five-man ranking order for the captaincy role, which was voted by the first-team squad at the time.
Of course, United manager Carrick does not need to bring in the voting model of Barcelona when it comes to deciding the five captains, but a structure is needed.
Ruben Amorim had a six-man leadership team to support Bruno Fernandes in his Man Utd captaincy ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season at Old Trafford.
However, the experiment with Mount as a captain could unlock a more effective four-man Man Utd skipper order for Carrick in the 2026-27 Premier League season.
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What a Man Utd ‘captains’ hierarchy’ could look like under manager Michael Carrick next season:
With Lisandro Martinez currently sidelined after the World Cup this summer, Carrick might need the likes of Maguire and Mount to support Fernandes next season.
Only time will tell if Mount is able to keep wearing the captain’s armband this summer, picking up experience and being set up for a ‘new’ role under Carrick.