Manchester United scored eight goals in three pre-season fixtures during their tour of the United States and Mason Mount was heavily involved in three of them.
After wins over West Ham and Bournemouth, as well as an entertaining 2-2 draw with Everton, Manchester United have returned to England ahead of the new campaign.
Ruben Amorim witnessed some great progress during the tour but was also aware of the improvements which still need to be made.
One of the struggles United experienced last season came from set-pieces, especially in the first few months of Amorim’s reign.
The United boss wanted to see his team improve in defending set-pieces while also being able to take advantage of them in an attacking sense too with the physicality being different in English football.
“Set-pieces are becoming so important,” he said in December last year. “We have to learn it and do the same thing [as other Premier League teams], even with the smaller guys, you just have to copy and do the same thing, use the rules to score goals from set-pieces.”
Pre-season has been a perfect opportunity for the Reds to improve in this aspect, and while they did not score any goals directly from corners, UtdDistrict have noted three goals involving Mason Mount and a key pattern Amorim seems to be looking for.
#1 – Højlund vs Bournemouth
Rasmus Højlund’s opening goal against Bournemouth came from a Patrick Dorgu cross on the left side of the pitch, but how did the ball end up there?
After United had won a throw-in just inside the opponents half, Bruno Fernandes came over to that side of the pitch and dragged Philip Billing with him. That left plenty of space in the middle of the pitch for Mount.
Diogo Dalot’s long throw-in to the Englishman bypassed four Bournemouth players who were in close proximity to the throw-in and Mount’s turn then allowed him to give Dorgu the ball in space on the left. An overlapping run from Mount then provided the additional space for the Dane to find his fellow countryman inside the box.
#2 – Dorgu vs Bournemouth
Less than twenty minutes later in the same game, Mount received the ball from a Casemiro pass and was fouled by Illia Zabarnyi on the half-way line.
Immediately afterwards, Dorgu made a run in behind the Bournemouth defence, who were not paying attention, and Mount noticed this and floated a quick free-kick in behind.
The Dane fought off one defender before putting the ball beyond Djordje Petrovic’s reach and it was more quick thinking from United, with Mount at the heart of it.
#3 – Mount vs Everton
United’s final goal of the tour came from Mount himself, with the curling effort from the right side of the box being one of the standout moments from the tour. But once again, how did he get into that position?
After a long pass towards Dorgu from Fernandes, the Dane fought well to win a throw-in right next to the corner flag. When that happens, a lot of teams will allow their players to ‘get up the pitch’ and then recycle the play.
Mount, though, was immediately showing as an option for Dorgu and the defender obliged by throwing to him quickly. The Englishman took a quick touch and passed inside to Fernandes.
With Bournemouth clearly not set after the long ball had been played, there was a gaping hole in their defensive unit which Fernandes and Mount took advantage of. United’s captain passed back to Mount inside the area and he finished the move off expertly.
United acting quicker from set-pieces
Much has been made of the intensity United are trying to bring into their general play but it also seems to be an aspect Amorim wants in their set-pieces.
In modern-day football, especially in the Premier League, you aren’t likely to get many opportunities to attack against a team who aren’t in their settled shape. Using set-pieces to your advantage can change that.
United had the ball within the back of the net within 13 seconds in all three of those instances, and Dorgu’s goal was the quickest at just over six seconds. The Reds took advantage quickly.
| Goal | Seconds in play before goal |
| Højlund vs Bournemouth | 12:29 |
| Dorgu vs Bournemouth | 06.25 |
| Mount vs Everton | 07.98 |
Mount’s involvement in all three of these goals is not surprising considering the type of player he is; superbly intelligent on the pitch and knows how to match the demands of the manager.
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Of course, he will not be starting every game next season and Amorim will want the rest of his players to follow suit in this aspect. It is one of those small details which can help win you extra points across a long and gruelling Premier League season.
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