Preseason: Mason Mount makes Man United debut in 2-0 win over Leeds

Okeke George Chijioke

Jul 12, 2023

Preseason: Mason Mount makes Man United debut in 2-0 win over Leeds

Mason Mount made his Manchester United debut in a 2-0 friendly win against Leeds United.

The 24-year-old midfielder completed his transfer from Premier League rivals Chelsea last week for an initial fee of £55million. Erik ten Hag prioritised signing the England international, with the Red Devils having several bids rejected before finally landing their man.

Mount’s arrival was marked with him being given the iconic No.7 shirt previously worn by the likes of Bryan Robson, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

And he was thrown straight into the starting line-up for his very first pre-season game in Norway on Wednesday, with his performance dividing fans on social media.

Mount was involved straight away, utilising his trademark aggressive pressing to the delight of Ten Hag. After some early touches of the ball, the Englishman played a sublime ball out wide, carving open Leeds' defence.

Yet it was still far from a convincing debut for Mount in the eyes of some United and rival fans, who quickly made a fail compilation of all his involvements.

The midfielder sent his shot high and wide (Image: Fredrik Solstad/REX/Shutterstock)

Perhaps his most talked-about moment came when he struck a bouncing ball on the edge of the area, sending it high into the stands. He was also trolled for a free-kick in the 40th minute which went too deep and straight out for a goal-kick.

One Twitter user wrote: “This the 60m Mason Mount Manchester United wasted money on ?

Another fumed: “Mason Mount stinks,” while a third added: “Already a flop.”

And a fourth commented: "Hearing this a generational disasterclass from Mason Mount."

Bend it like Beckham ❌
Pend it like Pount ✅
The Set piece magician Mason Mount💫💀 pic.twitter.com/JlQdZppYZ4
— S. (@bunnycfc) July 12, 2023

ut not all were critical of the midfielder, with one Twitter user writing: “Mason mount has been really impressive so far, he’ll have a great future at Manchester United.”

A second tweeted: “I don’t care that it’s preseason, Mason Mount is class.”

A third pointed out: “Mason Mount’s pressing game is no joke,” while a fourth added: “What a flick by Mason Mount to Hannibal. This guy will coook!!”

Speaking to the official United club media last week, Mount revealed he knew his time was up at Chelsea months ago.

He said: “Several months ago I think it became clear that I wasn’t in Chelsea’s plans moving forward and once I knew that United were involved, my decision was made.

“It’s a massive club, huge, iconic players have played here, and I wanted to be a part of that from the beginning. Getting in early, ready for pre-season to start, was a main objective of mine as well.”