Mason Mount has backed Manchester United's summer midfield overhaul and says the extra competition is already lifting the standard in training. The club signed three midfielders this summer, Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba, in a rebuild described as costing £155m. Mount has been fighting for minutes through a stop-start spell at Old Trafford.

Mount's view on the new arrivals

Speaking to mirror.co.uk, Mount said: "Yeah, I think the additions within the squad really improve the squad, too. The competition for places is high, and I think that's a must-have, because it ups the level, ups everyone's level within the team. Game by game, you're competing during the week and training to get into the team and start the game, so everyone's got to be ready."

He added: "That definitely improves the standard. You can see it already, the standard in training has gone up, so that will only improve the squad as a whole."

The new signings have quickly changed the mood around central midfield. Santos has already made 3 Premier League appearances and played 92 minutes, while Tielemans has 3 appearances and an average 7.19 rating. Baleba has logged 34 minutes in his most recent appearance, which shows how quickly the new group is being used.

Mount's own place in the squad

The other side of the story is Mount's own season. He was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw at Everton, and he has made just 25 Premier League starts in three seasons at Manchester United. He has scored seven times for the club in that spell.

That is the part of the story that keeps his comments from sounding like pure optimism. Mount is not pretending the competition is comfortable, but he is framing it as a standard United should want. United's midfield overhaul has given him more bodies to fight against, and it has also given him a clearer test every day in training.

The clearest practical point is simple: United have spent heavily, three new midfielders are in the building, and Mount says the bar has already moved up. If he gets a chance against Sabah in Thursday night's Champions League clash, it will come in a squad where the fight for places is now much tighter than it was a few weeks ago.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →