Rooney insult leaves Mason Mount staring down the barrel at Man Utd
Manchester United fans the world over will have echoed Wayne Rooney’s thoughts after watching their side’s limp display against the ten men of Manchester City on Sunday.
“When the transfer window closed I felt United still needed better players, to not only to provide competition for places and cover across all competitions, but to come on in games and provide that extra quality and change games.
“You were just waiting for someone to be brought on and make an impact today, but you looked at the bench and there weren’t many attacking threats to call on. It was all a bit toothless.”
Michael Carrick made just two of his five available substitutions: Benjamin Sesko replaced Youri Tielemans in the 67th minute; Joshua Zirkzee came on for Marcus Rashford in the 83rd.
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Gary Neville argued that Sesko should have been brought on at half-time after many were desperate to see the Slovenian start the game ahead of Matheus Cunha, who did very little once again. But there were few complaints over Carrick’s use of his bench besides.
It feels significant, and depressing for the man himself, that there was no clamour for the introduction of Mason Mount.
Injury kept him out of the opening day defeat to Hull City and then the victory over Ipswich, but a return to fitness since then has reaped the reward of 45 minutes against Sabah in the Champions League, when his side were already 3-0 up.
When chasing a goal against Everton, Carrick turned to Andrey Santos and Leny Yoro before he again snubbed the 27-year-old in the Manchester derby; a game many would argue was calling out for the energy and passion of a peak Mason Mount, who was also renowned for ‘making things happen’ in those halcyon, admittedly distant, days.
Mount would be the first to admit that he’s failed to replicate his Chelsea form at Old Trafford, but there have been recent signs of an uptick in performance.
“One hundred per cent Mason can have a big impact, no doubt,” Carrick said when asked how the arrivals of Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba would restrict his game time. “I think he’s a top player, and he’s started pre-season and gone through pre-season particularly well. He hasn’t missed an awful lot of time, so he’ll get up to speed pretty quickly.”
The naysayers will reasonably raise doubts over it ‘only being pre-season’, and even his outstanding display on the final day of last season against Brighton can be dismissed as a game something akin to an exhibition.
Mount gave the only answer available to a man who promised plenty but has delivered next to nothing when questioned over his new competition for game time.
“I think the additions within the squad really improve the squad,” he said. “The competition for places is high, and I think that’s a must-have, because it ups the level, ups everyone’s level within the team. Game by game, you’re competing during the week and training to get into the team and start the game, so everyone’s got to be ready.”
He must now be wondering, after a stellar pre-season, the subsequent backing of his manager and two games crying out for a player like him, or at least the player he was, whether he can expect anything more than the odd cup appearance for United this season, which would surely therefore be his last.
Mount may believe that the midfield overhaul came at precisely the wrong time, but a Red Devils career of false dawns has left Mount with almost no-one in his corner to question his absence form the team.
Almost as galling as Carrick turning to the bench, noting his presence and ignoring him, will be pundits like Rooney now not even registering Mount as a man slighted.
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