Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on the performances of midfielder Mason Mount in the club’s pre-season tour so far.
Mount joined United from fellow Premier League giants Chelsea in the summer of 2023 for a reported £55 million fee plus £5 million in add-ons. Despite the massive transfer fee, the Englishman’s tenure at Old Trafford can be described as underwhelming.
Thanks for the submission!
Mount has bagged just seven goals and two assists in 72 appearances for Manchester United across all competitions. While his performances have been inconsistent, he has not had the best luck with injuries – having been ruled out of nearly 70 games for the Red Devils since 2023.
Yet, there is hope that the 27-year-old can turn his United tenure around. He has featured in all three of their 2026-27 pre-season friendlies (45′ against Wrexham (0-1 loss), 61′ against Rosenborg (5-0 win) and 90′ against Atletico Madrid (2-1 win)) and delivered solid performances.
Ferdinand has been impressed by Mount’s displays and took to social media to give the playmaker his flowers. In a post on X, the 47-year-old wrote (via @rioferdy5 on X):
“Mason Mount looking sharp btw.”
This summer, Manchester United have reinforced their midfield with a couple of massive signings. They have brought in Andrey Santos from Chelsea for a reported £48 million fee plus £2 million in add-ons and triggered Youri Tielemans’ £35 million release clause to sign him from Aston Villa.
Therefore, despite his great form in pre-season, Mount will face strong competition for a spot in United’s starting lineup for the 2026-27 season.
“He must be happy” – Former Manchester United star claims boss Michael Carrick will be thrilled with midfield performances in pre-season
Former Manchester United winger Jesper Blomqvist has claimed that manager Michael Carrick ‘must be happy’ with the performances of the midfielders in the Red Devils’ pre-season friendlies thus far.
The former Chelsea duo of Mason Mount and Andrey Santos, as well as academy graduate Shea Lacey, have delivered some exceptional performances in the preparatory fixtures. Highlighting the quality that United possess in the middle of the park, Blomqvist, who made 38 appearances for the club in the 1998-99 season, said (via manutd.com):
“He must be happy with the way the central midfielders have performed. Of course there’s going to be fierce competition in there for places when everyone is back. It’s good that some have played 90 minutes, some have played 70 minutes – that means they are in good shape and ready to go to the next level. The other players still to come back will need to work hard to get back into the team.”
Manchester United’s next pre-season friendly will see them go head-to-head with defending UEFA Champions League winners PSG (Saturday, August 8).
Edited by Aaryan Nagraj