One thing Mason Mount has never lost since joining Manchester United has been his smile.
Even with all of the setbacks that have come his way – and those have not been in short supply having missed more than 50 games since joining from Chelsea for £55million back in 2023 – Mount’s infectious positivity has not been lost around the halls of Carrington and Old Trafford.
Those close to the player speak of his importance behind the scenes, long before he scored his first goals of the season in the past week.
‘He is great around the squad,’ one United source told Mail Sport. ‘He is one of those players that can knit multiple groups together in the dressing room. He is one of the friendliest players United have had in years.’
So when Mount scored his first goal of the season at Brentford last weekend and followed it up with a match-winning brace in the Europa League against Athletic Club on Thursday, it was extra special for a coaching staff and a dressing room that know just how long Mount has waited for his crowning moment in United red to arrive.
‘Not just me, if you look at the bench, that is the best feeling as a coach,’ manager Ruben Amorim said of the celebrations at Mount’s goals. ‘When you look at the other guys on the bench, they are so happy for Mason because everybody in that dressing room sees Mason doing everything he can to be available.
Mason Mount has never lost his smile at Man United despite having so many setbacks
Mount curled in to equalise on the night at Old Trafford, minutes after coming off the bench…
…and then added a stunning 40-yard strike late on to seal victory and send United off to the Europa League final in Bilbao later this month
‘He’s a really good player and you can see both goals are really good goals. So I think not just Mason, not just me, but also the team-mates, they were so happy for him.’
His first season at the club was ravaged by injury. In total he played just 20 times, with only eight starts. Externally noise was getting louder as to whether he may already have proven to be a busted flush.
Heading into last summer Mount was a man on a mission to be more than a spectator this time around. He spent 10 days in Portugal, paid for and organised on his own accord, with a personal trainer to get an edge on peers prior to pre-season and he was one of the standouts on the United States tour.
So after playing just three of the 11 league games before Amorim arrived this season due to muscle injuries, the road to prosperity looked a perilous one for Mount. But immediately Amorim was smitten with Mount, even with his stock at what many felt an all-time low. From day one Amorim was one of Mount’s most important cheerleaders.
‘I have to tell you I love that kid,’ Amorim said of Mount back in November. ‘The first thing is he is working really hard. And then you have to understand the human also. He wants this really badly. That is the most important thing. You can see in his eyes that he wants this so bad.’
What Amorim and his staff saw was a laser focus at their Carrington base from Mount to return back to his best. Mount committed to very long hours at the training ground to build up his fitness and never slipped to the temptation of unhealthy eating when the weight of the world may have been on his shoulders.
As one source put it, Mount ‘left no stone unturned’ as Amorim saw everything. The boss was always willing to wait for a player his belief has never wavered in.
Mount assumed more of a leadership role, too. Young players such as Harry Amass, Kobbie Mainoo and Toby Collyer have all sought out Mount for advice. Rasmus Hojlund, who himself has had his own battles at United this season, is among Mount’s closest friends in the dressing room.
Mount scored his first goal of the season at Brentford on Sunday before following it up with his brace in the Europa League
Immediately when he arrived Ruben Amorim was smitten with Mount, even with his stock at what many felt an all-time low
Young players such as Harry Amass (left) and Kobbie Mainoo (right) have all sought out Mount for advice
Family is particularly important to Mount and has given him a familiarity and a grounding after he left his boyhood club in Chelsea a couple of years ago.
The 26-year-old has settled into a quiet life living on the border to Cheshire and his family regularly travel from London to visit him. Parents Debbie and Tony were in the stands on Thursday to see their son light up Old Trafford.
Part of the Mount appeal to Amorim is that he is one of the few players that doesn’t need educating on the 3-4-2-1 system he so strongly believes in, having played it under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.
But it is also because he has never once downed tools when so many critics had already written off the player in a United jersey.
Mount knows Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system well, having played in it under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea
In 28 minutes on Thursday, Mount scored twice with just 19 touches, had a 100 per cent pass accuracy, won 80 per cent of his ground duels and scored twice from two shots
So when the No 7 illuminated green on Thursday for Mount to come on – Amorim initially told him to sit down before changing his mind 60 seconds later – the stage was finally set for Mount to show everyone just why Amorim and his team-mates love and believe in him so much.
In 28 minutes, Mount scored twice with just 19 touches, had a 100 per cent pass accuracy, won 80 per cent of his ground duels and scored twice from two shots to become the first substitute to score a brace in a European knockout match for United since David Beckham in 2003. Not bad company to keep.
And when calm returned to Old Trafford and the stands had emptied out, few could blame Mount from heading back out onto the pitch to soak up such a special night.
‘Moments like these are worth the wait,’ he wrote on social media. He will just hope the next one doesn’t take so long to arrive.
