Mason Mount's time at Manchester United has been anything but straightforward, and uncertainty is growing as the summer draws near.
Mason Mount joined Manchester United from Chelsea in July 2023 for £55 million, with an additional £5 million in performance-related add-ons. Before the move, Mount won the Champions League, Club World Cup and had appeared in the Euros final for England.
The England international was handed the number seven shirt when he signed for Erik ten Hag's side, but he made just 14 Premier League appearances in 2023/24, scoring just one goal. Ten Hag played Mount alongside Casemiro in the double pivot, in an attempt to replace Christian Eriksen, but the Denmark international made 22 Premier League appearances in the same campaign.
Mount would have looked to replace Eriksen the season after, in which Rúben Amorim took charge of the club and famously said: "I love that kid," when asked about Mason Mount. But injuries held Mount back, and he missed a total of 23 matches that season with two hamstring injuries, as per TransferMarkt.
This season, Mount has become more important to Manchester United, or at least he did under Amorim. The former Chelsea star has made 23 appearances in red this season, but only four of those have come since Michael Carrick took charge.
On Saturday afternoon - with no Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte - Mount was asked to step into the side alongside Kobbie Mainoo in the double pivot. Mount was not close to being the worst player on the pitch, but he was far from the best, too.
"Mason Mount is working hard, but right now he’s not performing anywhere near the level Manchester United expected when they signed him," said former United striker Michael Owen after the game.
"He looks a little slow in possession, a bit laggy in transitions, and he’s not really influencing the game enough in midfield. You can clearly see United are missing players like Casemiro in the middle of the park because there’s no real control or authority there.
"Manchester United need more intensity and personality from Mount because games like this demand it."
Mount's future at Old Trafford
Director of football Jason Wilcox has implemented a rule at Old Trafford, where if you have two poor seasons after joining the club, you would be moved on in the following transfer window. This saw Antony, Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana leave United in the summer.
Mount is now coming to the end of his third season in Manchester, but he is yet to come anywhere close to the heights he reached under Thomas Tuchel as a Chelsea player. His best position is filled by Bruno Fernandes, and Matheus Cunha seems to be the backup for that role, so where does Mount actually fit in?
Under Amorim, the 27-year-old played as one of the two attacking midfielders, usually on the left side. This allowed him to take up a similar position to which he did at Chelsea, but that area of the pitch is now occupied by Fernandes or Cunha.
Mount is not a central midfielder. He can play as a box-to-box, but that is far from his best position. Against Sunderland, Mount looked competent alongside Mainoo, but that is not a partnership that should become common place at Old Trafford. Ugarte would have likely been chosen ahead of the United's No.7 had he been fit, but he had a small issue which ruled him out of the game.
With Casemiro set to depart next season, United are on the hunt for two central midfielders, with a third likely to be promoted from the academy. Should all of those happen, United would have four players to choose from for the double pivot, not including Mason Mount.
This would leave Mount as the backup to Bruno Fernandes, with Cunha likely to play from the left flank. The captain is likely to sit on the bench more next season - due to Champions League football - but this will not be a regular occurrence.
Should Mount leave this summer?
United's focus is unlikely to be on selling Mount. They will already have a reasonable budget, with the sales of Hojlund and Rashford adding to the finances, no to mention the benefit of no longer having Casemiro or Jadon Sancho's wages on the books.
It will be expensive to find replacements for Casemiro, Ugarte, as well as a new left-winger, and maybe a left-back, but United will be able to afford it without selling Mount. Joshua Zirkzee is more likely to be sold instead.
It is not known how Mount is viewed internally at Old Trafford, but in January Carrick said: "[I'm a] Big fan of Mason, there is so many good things to like about him.
"That’s why we have a squad. I like Mason a lot and he is an important player for this team and this club."
But his minutes on the pitch do not represent that of an "important player". Perhaps he will need to leave to regain his form and finally become an "important player" once again.