Mason Mount returns to Stamford Bridge this evening for the first time since he ended his 18-year association with Chelsea.
This time out in West London, the midfielder will be donning Manchester United red in front of the crowd who bellowed out his name as recently as last season.
The Red Devils forked out £55 million (plus £5m in add-ons) to acquire Mount’s signature last July, despite the fact that his contract with the Blues would’ve been expiring in the summer of 2024, therefore becoming a free agent.
Yet, Erik ten Hag had already decided that the Englishman was the man he wanted, leading the board to continue their negotiations until a deal was ultimately agreed – and he didn’t come cheap.
Unfortunately, Mount’s start to life at Old Trafford has been nothing short of disappointing for all involved. He’s endured an injury-stricken campaign which has led to him making just nine Premier League appearances, only four of those were as a starter.
He returned to action in the second half of last Sunday’s draw with Brentford after spending four months on the sidelines, proceeding to score United’s only – and his first – goal of the game in an action-packed 10-minute cameo.
It remains to be seen whether Ten Hag will deploy the 25-year-old from the offset against his former club. The manner in which he departed, for such a fierce rival, burnt bridges between Mount and Chelsea supporters, so he’s presumably braced for an unwelcome return when he steps out on the turf again.
Ten Hag divulges Chelsea’s reluctance to sanction Mount’s exit
The manager revealed ahead of the Premier League clash that Chelsea had actually pushed to keep their academy graduate. They tabled numerous contract proposals in hopes of convincing him to stay long-term, but when the 20-time champions came knocking, he just couldn’t turn them down.
“I don’t think Chelsea wanted to sell him!” Ten Hag said, as cited by Fabrizio Romano.
“They wanted to keep him and offered him a new contract many times. But he wanted to make this step and join Man United.”
