United ace rescued from the scrap heap as Carrick offers him surprise lifeline – Athletic

Manchester United will need to be ruthless when it comes to player sales in order to raise enough cash to reinforce across the pitch. INEOS have certainly improved on that front compared to their predecessors, but the team still has quite a bit of deadwood that needs clearing. The summer of 2023 was among the worst in the club’s recent history, and almost all the big signings who arrived in that window find themselves on the periphery. Andre Onana, regarded by many fans as one of the worst goalkeepers seen at the club, is on his way out, with Trabzonspor keen on extending his loan. Injury record of Mason Mount remains a huge concern Rasmus Hojlund is set to stay with Napoli, while plenty would also want Mason Mount to be offloaded once the transfer window opens. While the Englishman would like to stay, the truth is that he is simply too injury-prone. Signed for an initial transfer fee of £55 million, the former Chelsea ace has hardly ever been available. In three seasons, the United No.7 has managed a meagre 31 starts across all competitions, missing 69 matches due to injuries. It seemed like his luck was finally changing under Ruben Amorim, but familiar problems soon returned, and in the end, he managed only two starts under Michael Carrick. Carrick still has faith in Mason Mount Yet, The Athletic have claimed that the newly-announced permanent head coach seems to be a fan of his versatility, and with the Red Devils set to play in four competitions next season, Carrick feels there could be space in the squad for Mason Mount. The 27-year-old has played as a false nine, attacking midfielder, and even a deep-lying playmaker this season, which corroborates the head coach’s thinking. “Carrick is also known to think the positional flexibility of Mason Mount and Noussair Mazraoui is beneficial to his squad heading into a campaign of four competitions. Last chance for Mason Mount “Mount started in deep midfield at Sunderland and Brighton & Hove Albion in Casemiro’s absence, playing superbly at the Amex Stadium today (Sunday), but recruiting a No 6 (or two), is obviously United’s top priority in the summer market.” While the Portsmouth-born star struggled against the Black Cats, he did improve against the Seagulls. It will be interesting to see how many minutes he earns next season should he end up staying. Feature image Steve Bardens via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25