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Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount has revealed victory in the Europa League final on Wednesday night can bring a “positive end to a tough season” for the Red Devils.
Mount, 26, has endured a miserable time since his £55 million switch to Old Trafford from Stamford Bridge in 2023.
A barrage of injuries have limited the Cobham graduate’s opportunities for United on the pitch – a situation which can impact even the most mentally strong footballer.
“It is not always easy,” Mount reveals. “I have had many days at Carrington sitting on the treatment bed, when I want to be training. I have been in the stand watching games when I wanted to be playing.
“But that was the circumstances. I gave everything to continue my rehab to try and get back. I have learned a lot from these moments. You really appreciate it more.”
And this faith was rewarded with Mount’s outstanding cameo off the bench in the semi-final clash against Athletic Club offering a glimpse of the talent United’s number seven retains.
With United trailing 1-0 at Old Trafford in the second leg, the game hung in a precarious place following the 3-0 win in Spain in the reverse fixture. If Athletic grabbed the next goal, the stadium would have been on tenterhooks and the Red Devils would almost certainly have imploded.
But Mount produced a brilliant turn-and-finish combination to draw his side level, allowing United to settle and add two more goals, before an outrageous long-range effort from the 26-year-old in added time put the game to bed at 4-1, 7-1 on aggregate.
Mount will be hoping he gets the starting nod from Amorim in Bilbao as United face off against Tottenham Hotspur in the final – a side they have lost to three times already this season.
The Portuguese coach is thought to be a huge fan of Mount with the midfielder’s best season in a Chelsea shirt coming in the exact same 3-4-2-1 system Amorim utilises.
Mount has experienced heart-breaking losses in finals before – namely the penalty shoot-out loss to Italy for England in EURO 2020 – and is keen to avoid a repeat in Spain.
“The losses are hard,” said Mount. “I have had quite a few at Wembley and they stick with you for a long time. But when you do win, you understand that feeling and always want it.
“I don’t know how many of the lads have too much experience of that but I can tell you I have had quite a few losses and I don’t want that feeling.”
Mount insists United’s recent results do not reflect the actual performances Amorim’s side have produced, mirroring a point the Portuguese coach made last week.
“I feel we’re close,” the 26-year-old said. “It’s small details here and there in games, especially in the Premier League.
“If the small details aren’t right you can get punished, which can be devastating at times. I think we’re close to correcting them and when you win trophies you get extra confidence and you build that togetherness as a group.
“But we know the situation we are in. As a group, we try to block out the noise but we know the league has not been good enough. We won’t forget about what we have done in the league but if we can win, it can be a positive end to a tough season.”
The final in Bilbao on Wednesday arguably United’s most important match since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as so much more rests upon it than just adding another trophy to the club’s glittering cabinet.
The prospect of Champions League football next season, despite having finished 16th in the Premier League, is almost invaluable given the vast array of financial benefits entry into Europe’s elite competition brings.
Bilbao or bust is the mantra at Old Trafford this week. Or, as Mount more diplomatically puts it, “a positive end to a tough season.”
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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