If anyone has spent this season reminding people just what they are capable of, it’s Mason Mount.
The Manchester United midfielder has been plagued by setbacks in recent years, whether that be injuries, tough results or being shown the door by Chelsea, a club he had spent 18 years at.
The willingness from the 26-year-old to keep fighting when things have looked bleak is starting to pay off. Mount has started the last three matches, and will be hoping to make it four for just the second time in his Old Trafford career when Newcastle visit on Boxing Day, live on Sky Sports..
Mason Mount is on one of his best run of games in a Manchester United shirt
To overcome so many hurdles is not easy, but Mount puts his resilience down to his early years of chasing his dream to become a professional footballer.
“It’s always about, as a kid, making it into the first team,” Mount told Sky Sports.
“I think in my younger years, I didn’t have loads of downs. I was very lucky to play in very good teams where we won a lot.
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“Then as you get older, you understand there’s definitely going to be ups and downs. And the downs that I experienced was losing big games or losing a final.
“That’s definitely something that you have to learn about, you have to overcome.”
Mount is a little over a year removed from what appeared to be one of his lowest moments in a United shirt. Backed by new manager Ruben Amorim to start in a Manchester derby against City, he lasted just 12 minutes before being taken off through injury.
Mason Mount suffered a major injury setback against Manchester City last season
It was another fitness blow for Mount, who looked crestfallen as he walked off with the United physios.
“It was very tough because, obviously, the manager had just come in,” he recounts.
“I was getting into the team. When I felt it, I was like ‘this is not going to be a good one’.
“It takes a couple of days to kind of get your head around that. But then for me, it was always, ‘I’m back on it now, focus. What can I do to get back as quick as possible and in the best shape I can be?'”
His hard work has paid off, with Gary Neville saying during the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa that the Red Devils are a better team with Mount in it. That assessment boils down to the hours Mount puts in to make it the case.
“There’s a lot that people don’t see, but within the group I think bringing that energy for myself and for the boys onto the pitch is super important.
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Mason Mount discusses his confidence as a number 10 in Ruben Amorim’s system
“Seeing me start a press or pressing the goalkeeper when it’s not on, but then it also sets a trigger for the rest of the lads to go.
“I’ve been used a bit higher up in a position that I’m used to. I can go forward, I can get into the box. Also, when we don’t have the ball, I will drop in and help the lads in midfield.
Mason Mount’s minutes by position during his Premier League career
“I think I’m getting close to really getting back to that [his best]. I think now with all my experience that I’ve got and experiences that I’ve been through, I think it [his best level] can be higher than before.
“Over the last couple of years, it’s been difficult to get even close to that level. But now, I’ve had a really good pre-season and a lot of games. A lot of minutes in the legs. I feel like I’m getting close to being back.”
World Cup hopes? It all starts with the club
Should Mount reach the peak of his powers, some may begin thinking about booking him a ticket to North America next summer.
England boss Thomas Tuchel knows Mount all too well, with the playmaker providing the assist for the winning goal as Tuchel’s Chelsea lifted the Champions League in 2021.
Mason Mount previously worked with England head coach Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea
If Mount can continues to show his worth, the stars could very much align, but he isn’t getting carried away just yet.
“I always say it starts with the club. If you’re performing at the club, then you have an opportunity to get in the squad,” he said when asked about his World Cup hopes.
“First and foremost, if we’re doing well, if we’re winning games, if we’re pushing up the league, then there’s always going to be that opportunity there.
“Obviously, I know Thomas. I know what he’s all about. I’ll be doing everything I can to get in that squad.”
