Mason Mount acknowledges his need for consistent game time as Manchester United approach the season’s end, with it all to play for in the UEFA Europa League.
The 26-year-old midfielder returned from injury at the start of April as a substitute in defeat at Nottingham Forest, and has appeared in every game since.
His tenacity, work rate and pre-existing understanding of Ruben Amorim’s system — having played in a similar set-up at Chelsea and with England — makes him a valuable option to have for these crucial weeks.
Mason’s personal goal, alongside the team’s drive to win the Europa League, is clear.
“100 per cent, I need consistency,”
he said.
“I'm the first one to say I need consistent game time. From now until the end of the season, I want to be available for every single game. And hopefully that means we will be playing the final. As a group, that's our goal.
“We know that we need to be playing in that Europa League final and do the best we can in the Premier League and try to get as high as we can, and win games, but keep improving.
“We can see small improvements happen in every single game. We’ve had games we’ve lost but felt like we've managed them, controlled them, it just didn’t really click. That’s happened a few times. But that’s something we’re working and we focus in on.
“Everything else is slowly building up, but we just need to finish off that final pass, that final finish. So yeah, it's definitely positive. For me, being back now to the end of the season, that's all I’d wish for.”
Mount featured in five of Amorim’s first six games in charge before an unfortunate injury in our Manchester derby win at the Etihad Stadium.
Even after that setback, Ruben made it clear in interviews and press conferences how much he rated our no.7.
“You can look in his eyes [and see] that he wants this so bad,” Amorim said, early on.
And when a player picks up an injury shortly after coming back from another, public backing is much appreciated, Mason says.
“It means a lot,”
he admitted.
“He's the manager, so he can see my side and how eager I am to get back in and help the lads. Obviously being here every single game, watching the games at home and being in and around it, you want to get back as quickly as possible, but sometimes it's maybe just about holding it a little bit, giving it an extra week before you can fully push on.
“It's difficult, definitely, but for me, I stayed very focused, I knew exactly what I needed to do to get back into training and then back into the squad, and that was my one and only goal. And I've been working on that for quite a while now, getting to the best possible state I'm in now physically. So now, I'm feeling really good.”
Watch our full interview with Mason Mount here, as he discusses his return from injury, Ruben Amorim's tactics, the rise of young players like Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer and Harry Amass, and ambitions for the rest of the season.