Ruben Amorim has praised a United player who is recently back from injury for being “really intelligent” against Brentford.
Manchester United suffered a 4-3 defeat to Brentford in the Premier League on the weekend but the side did not suffer their usual problems.
One of the biggest problems for United this season has been scoring goals and, despite the defeat, this was actually one of the team’s strengths having scored three. It looked possible for United to score a fourth to equalise but shots from Chido Obi were blocked and a few wilder efforts from other players went over.
Two of United’s stand-out players were Alejandro Garnacho and Amad. Garnacho scored a spectacular goal and an assist and Amad came off the bench to score United’s third.
However, it was the scorer of United’s opening goal who received the most praise from Ruben Amorim after the match.
Amorim heaps praise onto Mount
After scoring his second Premier League goal in a United shirt for the opening goal, Mason Mount received praise from Amorim. “It’s not just the finish [for the goal], it’s the position he has on the pitch. He’s really intelligent, he’s getting there…”
United’s number seven was valuable all over the pitch against Brentford. Only Manuel Ugarte completed more tackles than Mount, showing his prowess all over the pitch.
Mount has had a difficult time since joining United from Chelsea, predominately due to injuries. In the two seasons he has been at the club he has made 28 Premier League appearances out of a possible 73 and has only scored two league goals, both against Brentford.
Despite his fitness issues, Amorim has praised Mount’s effort levels when he is available. “He trains really hard,” the United boss aid. “Sometimes I have to push him back and to take him out of the pitch because he wants to do so much more. We are taking care of him, he wants to play more minutes and I’m really happy with him”.
Mount’s versatility and where he fits in under Amorim
At 26 years old Mason Mount has experienced football under his fair share of managers, all with different styles. Between Derby, Chelsea and United Mount has played for six different managers and he has had to adapt his game to fit into their systems.
In a 4-3-3 system that he played under Erik Ten Hag and Frank Lampard Mount was used in a number of ways. This includes playing on the right wing, playing in the “number ten” position or playing as a deep-lying playmaker.
Ruben Amorim’s system of playing a back five, which Mount also previously played under Thomas Tuchel, has not allowed him to play out on the right. However Amorim’s comments post-match have indicated how he wants to use Mount in the future.
“He’s like a third midfielder that can reach the box”, he said. This shows that Amorim favours Mount in one of the two no.10 positions behind the striker because he can support in attack but also drop back and help out deeper in midfield. This is close to how Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen are used in the same position.
Amorim has sometimes favoured players like Garnacho or Amad in those” positions. When these two fill the role they spend more of their time out wide than they do dropping back centrally as they are natural wingers.
Another benefit to Mount is he has experience playing on the wing, so if neither of those players are available then Mount can be instructed to play in their style as opposed to how he was used against Brentford.
Based on his effort levels and his ability to fit into the two different styles that Amorim likes in that position then if Mount can stay injury-free he is likely to become integral to the attack that Amorim is building.
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