Mason Mount to miss Manchester United's Leeds friendly after PSG knock
Mason Mount will sit out Manchester United's pre-season match against Leeds at Croke Park on Wednesday after picking up a foot injury against Paris St-Germain on Saturday.
The midfielder was kicked on the foot in the opening minutes of United's draw with PSG in Gothenburg and was substituted after just 20 minutes. Head coach Michael Carrick said he took Mount off as a precaution, but the 27-year-old has not trained since and missed sessions on both Monday and Tuesday in the build-up to the Leeds friendly (BBC Sport; Herald Scotland).
Mount is unlikely to be risked at Croke Park, and it is not yet known whether he will be available for United's final pre-season game against AC Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday (BBC Sport). He is, however, part of the travelling squad for United's Dublin training camp this week, where he will continue his rehabilitation and remain with the group on the ground (Manchester United).
Mount was not the only United player forced off in Gothenburg. Goalkeeper Tom Heaton also came off with a knock during the PSG match (Manchester United).
The timing is a frustration for a player who had been building real momentum. Mount was outstanding across United's first three pre-season matches, operating in the number eight role — the box-to-box midfield position that demands both defensive graft and creative spark (BBC Sport). After two seasons disrupted by injuries since his move from Chelsea, this summer had offered glimpses of the player who lit up Stamford Bridge and earned an England regular's status.
For Carrick, the priority is obvious. The new Premier League season is fast approaching, and Wednesday's match at Croke Park — a 69,000-seat venue more used to Gaelic games than football — is the penultimate chance to shape his side before the real business begins. Losing Mount for a friendly is a minor setback; losing him for the opening weeks of the campaign would be something else entirely.
The cautious approach makes sense. Pre-season is for building fitness and testing systems, not for gambling on a player whose body has been cruelly uncooperative. Mount will rehab in Dublin with the squad around him, and United will make a late call on the AC Milan fixture in Wroclaw this weekend.
For now, the wait continues — for Mount, for Carrick, and for the United supporters who have seen enough of the midfielder's talent to know exactly what they are missing.
