Erik ten Hag has said he will take a patient approach with Mason Mount after the midfielder’s return to fitness at Manchester United.
Mount’s debut season with the club has seen the England international struggle with injury problems, with the 25-year-old having featured for just 411 minutes in the Premier League after a series of setbacks.
He came off the bench to score his first Manchester United goal in the 1-1 draw at Brentford last weekend and is pushing for a place in the side as the Red Devils visit former club Chelsea on Thursday evening.
Having lost his place in the England squad in recent months, Mount will hope he can impress across the run-in and enter Gareth Southgate’s thoughts for Euro 2024. He has not featured for the Three Lions since the 2022 World Cup quarter-final exit to France.
However, Ten Hag has insisted the club will manage Mount’s work-load as they look to ensure the midfielder does not suffer further issues.
“He’s a fantastic football player but it’s important first that he is getting and keeping fit because he has had three injuries,” Ten Hag said at his pre-match press conference.
“We have to do this carefully. The first objective is to keep him fit. Then he can benefit and contribute to the team like he did on Saturday when he had a big impact [scoring against Brentford].”