Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces more pressure than any other coach in the Premier League after finishing just eighth in the league last season, which was the club’s worst finish of the current era.
Ten Hag, however, saved his job with new ownership group INEOS coming in, as he helped Manchester United defeat crosstown rivals Manchester City to win the FA Cup and thus qualify for the Europa League.
So far in the 2024/25 season, Man United have offered mixed results, as they stand 10th in the table. Ten Hag has to like that new signings like Noussair Mazraoui and young talents like Amad Diallo are stepping up, but Man United are going to need more help from their veteran players.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the match against Crystal Palace, Erik ten Hag spoke about center midfielder Mason Mount, who was signed for a hefty 55 million pound transfer fee in the summer 2023 transfer window but didn’t make much of an impact in his first season due to injury.
The embattled Dutch manager said of his equally embattled star, “I saw again at the beginning of the season what he [Mount] can bring to a team, and I’m sure that once he has a long run [without injury], he will really step up. I’m convinced of that.”
Mason Mount was one of Chelsea’s best players for a couple of seasons, playing a key role in their underdog 2020/21 Champions League triumph, which included big wins over subsequent annual winners Real Madrid and Manchester City.
However, Mount could not establish himself as a true 8 for Chelsea, leading to his departure and a rather bloated transfer fee from Manchester United. The Red Devils have yet to see anywhere near a return on investment, and Mount suffered yet another nagging injury after two Premier League matches this season.
But Mount is back in training, and ten Hag is backing his 25-year-old former England international. Mount does have plenty of quality and offers a different dynamic to the other talented Man United midifielders Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and new addition Manuel Ugarte.
So far, Mount has been hugely disappointing to Manchester United, but the former 11-goal, 10-assist man at Chelsea can turn it around. Ten Hag is confident that will be the case, so long as health is on his side.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.