Manchester United have confirmed the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea. The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract until the summer of 2028, with the option of a sixth year to be added at a later stage. Mount came through the Chelsea academy and was loaned to both Vitesse Arnheim and Derby County during his career at the London club. He’s also an England international, where he has made 36 appearances, scoring five goals.
Mount made a total of 195 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 33 goals and 37 assists during his time at the club. His first loan spell came with Vitesse Arnheim during the 2017/18 season, making 39 appearances, scoring 14 goals and 10 assists. He was then loaned to Derby County, making 44 appearances, scoring 11 goals and six assists. To date, Mount has 288 appearances in first team football, scoring 58 goals and 53 assists.
Mount will wear the famous number seven shirt at United, worn by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson and George Best through the years at the club. More recently though, the number has not been that much of a success at the club with spells from Antonio Valencia, Memphis Depay, Angel Di Maria and Alexis Sanchez – who were all considered to be flops in United iconic shirt number.
Mount was linked to Liverpool and United, also remaining at Chelsea this summer but with the turbulent way signings have been made at the club, he would have been silly to remain at Stamford Bridge, which probably helped him decide to leave the London club. Speaking to the official Manchester United website, Mount had something to say about leaving Chelsea and signing for United this summer, saying:
“It’s never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career. Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I’m joining, and I can’t wait to be part of this group’s drive to win major trophies.
“Everyone can see that the club has made big steps forward under Erik ten Hag. Having met with the manager and discussed his plans, I couldn’t be more excited for the seasons ahead, and am ready for the hard work expected here.
“I am hugely ambitious; I know how amazing it feels to win major trophies and what it takes to do it. I will be giving everything to experience that again at Manchester United.”
Mount, 24, will have big expectations on his shoulders following his transfer to United this summer. The number seven shirt will be one of those expectations as he will need to ensure he follows in the good footsteps, not the bad ones. He will also need to find some involvement in the team and help them turn a corner and push to close the gap on the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City – who finished above them in the Premier League last season.
John Murtough, Manchester United’s football director also spoke about the new signing of the club labelling Mount as an ‘extremely intelligent football’ who has ‘fantastic technical qualities’, also stating that is will add to the current squad at the club. Murtough was complimentary about the clubs new signing – who will be seeking to make his mark at the Old Trafford club this coming season. Murtough said:
“Mason is an extremely intelligent footballer and has so many fantastic technical qualities that will significantly add to our squad.
“We have admired his talents for a long time, so we are delighted that he has chosen to take the next steps in his career here at Old Trafford.
“His style of play and attributes are a perfect fit for this squad, and we all believe that he will only improve further working with Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff.
“Mason himself is a world-class player but he also has the ability to improve the players around him through his game intelligence and tactical awareness.
“We were particularly impressed by his strong desire to join United, and his thirst for further success, as we push to drive up our performance levels next season and beyond.”
Written by John Walker
