Former Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount is impressing his new teammates at Manchester United according to U-21 left back Alvaro Fernandez.
The 20-year-old, who developed as a youth player at Real Madrid’s La Fabrica, is one of the young talents on tour with Man United’s first team ahead of the 2023/24 season. He has been impressive in games and in training and many believe he has a pathway to making his first team debut in the course of the upcoming season.
Fernandez is also getting to know many of the first team players and evaluate their ability as he learns to be better while in the club’s pre-season camp. One of those who stood out for him is England midfielder Mount, who swapped Stamford Bridge for a future in the centre stage of the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford.
Fernandez has praised manager Erik ten Hag for his handling of the team in pre-season and reserved some words of praise for Mount especially.
The Spaniard noted that Mount has surprised him with his work ethic and ability during training, having seen him as a run-of-the-mill player back when the 24-year-old played for Chelsea.
“Mason has surprised me because he was not a player that stood out to me before when watching matches,” Fernandez, who spent last season on loan at Preston North End, said to journalists from the Spanish outlet AS. “But in training, you can see the quality, the technique and the ability that he has. He is very good.”
Then he added about ten Hag and his squad handling: “The coach is changing the team. New signings have arrived and the squad now has a new lease of life.
“Mason is a really great player, but on the pitch, he has an incredible character. And then there is Lisandro Martinez, who arrived last summer and has a level of aggression that seems crazy.”
Mount has played in every United fixture in pre-season so far bar the AFC Wrexham game which was solely for players like Fernandez. The former Chelsea man is learning to gel with his teammates.
They recently lost 2 – 0 to a Real Madrid side who acquired Jude Bellingham, a former target of theirs. The Red Devils still have Borussia Dortmund, RC Lens and Athletic Club Bilbao to go before wrapping up their pre-season preparations and returning to England for their new league season which kicks off against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fernandez and Mount will both be looking to impress further and fit into ten Hag’s plans.
