Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount is set to be out for “several weeks” after suffering another injury setback in the Manchester derby.
Mount was forced off with a muscle injury after just 13 minutes of the 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday and was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo.
The midfielder signalled he needed to be substituted and sat down on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium. After briefly receiving medical attention, he walked off and was comforted by a number of his United team-mates as he headed for the touchline.
The Manchester derby was just Mount’s fourth start in the Premier League this season, and second under new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Mount saw a specialist this week with Amorim confirming he now faces “several weeks” on the sideline.
“I don’t know the exact date but it’s going to be for long and that’s it. That’s part of football, you continue,” he said following Thursday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.
The England international has had his time at United disrupted by injury since his £55million move from Chelsea in July 2023.
He made only 20 appearances during his debut season after suffering a hamstring issue in United’s second league outing of the campaign in August and then being sidelined for four months following a calf injury in November.
Mount was left out of England’s squad for Euro 2024 by then-manager Gareth Southgate but had worked hard on his physical condition over the summer in an effort to make a positive start to the new campaign.
He impressed as he started United’s opening two matches of this season against Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion, but was sidelined again after sustaining a hamstring injury that forced him off at half time in the defeat to Brighton.
Asked whether this latest period out will be used to try and get to the bottom of his injury issues, Amorim said: “That is not my department. What I can do is help Mase to teach him how to play our game. When he’s recovering, try to use that time for different things.
“The worst part is that we don’t have time to train like we should do after a lot of injuries. It’s really hard to recreate the game before they come to the game. With Mason, we are going to help him. It’s really hard for the player to be out for so long. He’s trying really hard. If they try really hard we will help him to the end.”
United return to action against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday.
‘Mount’s United career still struggling to get started’
Mount appeared distraught as he left the pitch in the early stages of Sunday’s Manchester derby, with Amorim later revealing that he was “really sad” in the dressing room afterwards.
That frustration is fully understandable. This latest setback is Mount’s third this season alone, having sat out of 31 of United’s 52 games during his first year at Old Trafford.
Although he recovered well from a hamstring issue to return slightly ahead of schedule back in September, he then missed the entirety of October and is now not expected to return until the new year.
Perhaps most frustratingly of all, on the occasions he has played, United have began to see glimpses of the £55m player they signed, one who is well-suited to either of the two No 10 roles in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system.
United would be wise to use Mount’s time on the sidelines to get to bottom of his injury issues and rebuild an Old Trafford career that, 18 months in, is sadly struggling to get started.
(Michael Regan/Getty Images)
