“Mason Mount is in a bit of a similar situation to Donny van de Beek at Manchester United,” he told Gambling Zone. “Sometimes when you stick to a certain system, it’s hard to fit certain players and I fear he could be the new Donny and his career could fade at United.”
Despite being utilised in various midfield roles by Ten Hag, Mount has found it challenging to secure a consistent spot in the starting lineup. This has led Meulensteen to suggest that the player may be operating out of position.
“With Mason Mount, he is not really a six or not really a winger, you want him as an advanced eight,” Meulensteen said. “The way to do it is to play with one six and two eights or two tens. He is good on the transition and winning the ball back for counter attacks, he is so quick and agile and he showed that at Chelsea.”
Meulensteen, who currently serves as assistant coach for the Australian national team, also commented on the challenge Mount faces due to Bruno Fernandes’ form. “You can even say the same about Christian Eriksen, although he has more experience, because they are basically all playing in Bruno Fernandes’ area of the pitch,” he said.
“Bruno has been such an important player for United and with goals and assists and energy so the others are going to find it hard to get into their best position.”
The comparison of Mount’s situation in Manchester to Van de Beek’s unfortunate tenure is sure to unsettle him. The Dutch midfielder joined the Red Devils for £40million in August 2020 but managed only 62 appearances before leaving the club amid injuries and subpar performances.
After managing to score only two goals for United, the midfielder was sent on loan to Everton for the second half of the 2021/22 season. That was followed by another loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt in January this year. The former Ajax player made just 15 appearances across both loan periods before his time at United came to an end with a permanent move to Spanish side Girona in July.
