Mason Mount made his highly anticipated debut for Manchester United on Wednesday as the £60million signing got to grips with his new surroundings and team-mates, but the midfielder is already marking his stamp on the squad. The former Chelsea star started in the 2-0 win over Leeds United, just a week after sealing his high-profile switch, but he has already potentially put a target on his back with captain Bruno Fernandes.
United strolled to a comfortable victory thanks to goals from youth graduates Noam Emeran and Joe Hugill, and United fans would have been delighted to see their new signing Mount in action for the first time as he played the first 45 minutes.
Mount made an immediate impression and nearly scored on his non-competitive debut with a delightful chip. And it seems he has wasted no time in assuming his responsibilities in the team in the absence of several stars, including Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, as Ten Hag fielded a youthful team and filled the bench with academy prospects.
Mount was Chelsea’s corner taker during his time at the club and also took many of their free-kicks. It was this leading role that helped him rise to prominence in the team under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel, and he has shown a willingness to take on the same part at United as he whipped in deliveries against Leeds.
As the club’s biggest summer signing and one of the club’s top earners, Mount will be expecting to be handed the best chance to impress and rack up goals and assists. But in his way is another creative mastermind, and Fernandes might not like being told to share or play second fiddle to Mount.
The Portuguese playmaker is not only United’s trusted set-piece specialist with regards to free-kicks, corners and penalties, is also increasingly likely to be handed the captaincy on a permanent basis next season.
The 28-year-old has never been afraid to speak his mind, calling out Antony and Cristiano Ronaldo in the past on the pitch, and he is unlikely to stop if Mount gets under his skin. When Ronaldo was at the club between September 2021 and November 2022, the Portuguese veteran took over set-pieces from Fernandes, and it impacted the midfielder’s influence on the pitch as well as the scoresheet and he would be hesitant to allow a repeat with Mount.
At the Ulevaal Stadium in Oslo, it was clear that Mount had been enlisted as a possible replacement for Fernandes as the free-kick expert. After the match, Ten Hag dropped a hint that he could change his list of takers after admitting they need to score more from dead-ball situations.
When asked specifically about Mount’s 45-minute display, Ten Hag told MUTV: “Ah, great. [It is his] first time but we could expect this [level of performance].
“I think for him it’s just his first because he has so much skills and I’m sure we will take so much joy from him and he will contribute to our performance, absolutely. We need players who net [free-kicks].”
It is still not clear how Ten Hag plans to integrate Mount into the team with Fernandes and Casemiro in the midfield and the answer may not arrive until later in pre-season when their internationals return.
Fernandes enjoys the freedom that being a No 10 promises, but it is the same role Mount thrived in at Chelsea, although his energy and all-round capabilities would suggest he could play as a box-to-box midfielder.
Either way, he has shown already that he is not afraid to step on the toes of his team-mates as he aims to make a success of his Old Trafford move. Fernandes may not be willing to stand for seeing his role reduced in the team, however, and Mount will need to be wary of antagonising one of the most influential players at the club so soon after his arrival.
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