Manchester United, Liverpool’s archrival, has had a rough start to the 2017 Premier League season. The Red Devils were defeated 3-1 by Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday, surrendering twice in stoppage time after VAR denied Alejandro Garnacho a winning goal.
It’s United’s second defeat in four games to start the season, dropping it to 11th in the league position heading into the international break.
Erik ten Hag’s side has won two games, but both have been unimpressive – it was fortunate to defeat a wasteful Wolves in its first game, and it had to come from two goals down to win Nottingham Forest last month.
Ten Hag has failed to thoroughly integrate his new signings, despite the fact that new goalkeeper André Onana has started every game thus far. After recovering from an injury, forward Rasmus Hjlund made his debut as a substitute on Sunday, while midfielder Mason Mount has missed the last two games due to a minor issue.
Mount is scheduled to return after the international break (via The Guardian), but there’s a good chance he won’t be in the starting XI when he does. On deadline day, United signed Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
The porous aspect of the midfield has been perhaps the biggest problem for United thus far, much like it was for Liverpool last season. Casemiro, the squad’s defensive midfielder, has been regularly exposed by insufficient protection in front of him, making it far too simple for opponents to cut right through the heart of the team.
Mount was largely to blame, winning only three of his 13 ground duels against Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur and getting dribbled past four times. He didn’t make up for it with his performance in possession, either, completing only 32 passes in both games, a dismal return for a midfielder in a team of this caliber.
Mount’s anonymous and ineffective performances would have only fueled Ten Hag’s desire to sign Amrabat as a partner for Casemiro, and the 27-year-old, a defensive midfielder himself, looks set to come straight into the starting lineup alongside the Brazilian to provide greater balance, with the unstoppable captain Bruno Fernandes slotting in ahead of them.
Mount will be unable to function unless the system is altered. He may already be demoted to the replacements’ bench, and as a result, he may soon be regretting his decision to turn down Liverpool in the summer.
According to The Athletic, Liverpool was one of the clubs that held talks with Mount after he became dissatisfied with Chelsea, and the Reds’ approach was in the’same ballpark’ as the offer Mount received from United.
The Reds, for their part, will have no regrets because Dominik Szoboszlai, who was recruited for the same sum ($77 million/£60 million/€70 million) and practically for the same job, has been one of the team’s greatest performers up to this point.
Jürgen Klopp is unlikely to give Mount a second thought after Szoboszlai scored in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa, which moved the Reds into third place in the Premier League. Yes, it’s still early, but there’s already a feeling Mount made a mistake.
