(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Erik ten Hag is of the belief that Mason Mount’s unrelenting injury issues contributed to him eventually getting the sack at Manchester United.
The Dutch coach was relieved of his duties almost exactly a year ago, leaving United 14th-placed in the Premier League table upon his departure.
How Ten Hag’s two-and-a-half-year tenure came to such a bitter end
Ten Hag had picked up only three wins in the opening nine matches of the campaign. In Europe, United drew each of their three first-phase Europa League fixtures, which had them sitting 21st in the new-look rankings.
United’s eighth-placed finish in 2023/2024 was thought to have Ten Hag on the cusp of being let go, until the side’s unexpected triumph over Manchester City in the FA Cup final persuaded INEOS to stick with him heading into a new term whilst also triggering the one-year extension in his deal.
They would ultimately come to rue the decision, as the club were then made to shell out £13.5 million to terminate his contract prematurely.
How much did Mount feature under Ten Hag?
According to ESPN, the ex-boss maintains that ‘things might have been different’ had Mount been able to play the role he was intended to.
Unfortunately for both the midfielder and Ten Hag, Mount missed 26 matches across all competitions through injury in 2023/2024.
It came after United paid Chelsea a whopping £55m to sign the then-24-year-old whilst pledging an additional £5m in add-ons – despite him having only 12 months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge at the time of the transfer.
In the three months Ten Hag remained at the reins in 2024/2025, Mount was available to make only two league starts, featuring once more off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur before being hooked in the 85th minute with another setback.
