As the Manchester United team sheet was announced ahead of Wednesday's Champions League tussle with FC Copenhagen, there was yet another notable absentee from the starting lineup, with manager Erik ten Hag overlooking a certain summer signing.
Just a matter of months on from joining from rivals Chelsea on an initial £55m deal, England international Mason Mount has already become something of an afterthought both for the Dutchman and for supporters, with it yet to be seen what the benefits were of prising the 24-year-old from Stamford Bridge.
As pundit Chris Sutton only recently quipped, the playmaker "looks like he's fallen into the biggest black hole the world's ever seen", such has been his lack of impact, with it looking as if he could join the long list of players who have simply wilted upon entering the Theatre of Dreams.
Time is certainly on Mount's side, yet burdened with the club's famed number seven shirt, the former Blues star needs to start delivering sharpish, with the player that previously won the Champions League – and was coveted by Liverpool this summer – now nowhere to be seen.
Mason Mount's season by numbers
Perhaps such a drab start to life in Manchester should have been expected following the versatile midfielder's performances last term, as the 5 foot 11 maestro scored just three goals and contributed only six assists in all competitions for a dismal Chelsea side.
Prior to that, however, the Portsmouth native had remarkably contributed 29 goals and assists across all fronts during the 2021/22 season, while also providing a crucial assist in the Champions League showpiece victory over Manchester City the year prior.
United's new man had also previously caught Ten Hag's eye during a stunning loan spell in Holland back in 2017/18, registering 24 goal involvements in just 39 games for Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem.
Speaking at the time of his arrival at Old Trafford, Ten Hag even suggested that Mount was a "complete midfield player" who "suits Manchester United", with the incoming addition set to offer a new sense of energy and dynamism in that number eight berth.
Talk was rife that the former Ajax boss had finally stumbled upon his answer to long-term target, Frenkie de Jong in that midfield role alongside Casemiro, yet fast forward a few months and it is the ageing Christian Eriksen who remains the go-to pick, with Mount merely an interested bystander.
Although injury has not helped his cause, when the underwhelming asset has featured he has hardly set the world alight, registering just one assist and failing to score in 11 appearances to date, having started only four Premier League games thus far.
As writer Casey Evans suggested on Twitter amid the eventual defeat to Copenhagen earlier this week, the Englishman has arguably become the "new Donny van de Beek" such is his dwindling status, with it already looking as if United have made another ill-fitting, midfield signing.
How Mason Mount compares to Donny van de Beek
It may perhaps seem too soon to liken Mount to a player whose stock is so low that he hasn't even been included in United's squad for their European adventure, yet the early signs are that the club could have made a costly transfer blunder on a figure who simply doesn't suit the system – no matter what Ten Hag has previously said.
In the case of Van de Beek, the Netherlands international was signed back in 2020 on a £40m deal during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time at the helm, with the Ajax ace having been the marquee acquisition in an underwhelming window for the Premier League giants.
Having done his best work in Amsterdam as an attack-minded midfielder with a knack for arriving late in the box – with 41 goals and 34 assists in 175 games for the Eredivisie outfit – the Dutchman was then shifted into more of a deep-lying berth, with Bruno Fernandes the undisputed first-choice pick behind the striker.
Unable to dislodge the Portuguese magician, Van de Beek has meakly tumbled down the pecking order over the past three years or so, with even the arrival of his compatriot in the dugout not aiding his fortunes, while he was cruelly struck down by a season-ending injury last term.
Amid claims that Solskjaer never actually wanted to sign the player – favouring instead a move for Jack Grealish – it begs the question as to why the deal was ever done, with the hope being that history hasn't repeated itself in the case of Mount.
The latter man, like his current teammate, is also perhaps at his best in a playmaking berth, although the £250k-per-week enigma will have a tough ride attempting to dislodge his skipper, Fernandes, any time soon, with the 29-year-old still delivering the goods on a largely consistent basis – notably scoring the winner against Fulham last week.
19
7
4
4
1
0
1
0
0.2
0.6
1
0
86%
85%
1.1
2.1
6.67
6.74
If not deployed as a number ten, can Mount really be trusted in a deeper role? As was evident against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend, his partnership with Casemiro leaves a lot to be desired, with the pair having formed part of a "non-existent" midfield on the day, according to club legend Gary Neville.
The fear will be that he goes the same way as Van de Beek – who has just two goals and two assists to his name in 62 appearances – with former title winner Louis Saha already describing it as "strange" at how swiftly Mount has lost his confidence.
How Ten Hag could get the best out of Mount
Now behind the likes of Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat in the midfield pecking order – with Hannibal Mejbri also in contention for a starting berth in recent weeks – it appears a long way back for Mount if he is to cement a place in the centre of the park.
Fearing a repeat of the Van de Beek scenario, Ten Hag, and United, should do what they can to find a home for Mount somewhere in the starting lineup, with it perhaps worth giving him a run in the side on the right flank, particularly amid Antony's longstanding woes.
The Brazilian has failed to score or assist in all competitions this season and was dropped for the midweek trip to Denmark, with Marcus Rashford taking his place on that side prior to his early dismissal.
Utilising Rashford in that right-sided berth does not seem to be the best use of his talents, however, having scored 30 goals last term while typically operating off the left, hence the need to find a different solution.
Mount could well be the man for the job having previously been deployed on the flanks during his time in the capital, as well as for his country on occasion, with it worth giving the forgotten man an extended run in the side in order to showcase his talents.
On current evidence, however, the one-time Derby County loanee may find himself watching on far more frequently as Ten Hag seeks to rely on his tried and trusted assets to get the club out of their current rut, with Mount's addition – like that of Van de Beek – looking like nothing more than a £55m gamble that has not paid off.
