Erik ten Hag's Manchester United faith in Mason Mount could be justified despite Roy Keane verdict

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag greeted Mason Mount at Carrington and gave a big vote of confidence in the former Chelsea man.

"I want you to be a very important player for this team," the smiling Dutchman said. These words were backed up by actions with confirmation of Mount's shirt number - United have a new No.7.

It goes without saying how much this number means to United fans having been worn by the likes of Eric Cantona, George Best, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, there have been murmurings around the impact Mount will be able to make.

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Last season, like many of his Chelsea teammates, Mount's form took a dip. The attacking midfielder scored just three goals and grabbed six assists in 35 appearances.

Clearly, these are the stats which are not associated with a £55m player.

When it was just rumoured United had interest in Mount, Keane told Sky Sports: "I wouldn’t be hanging my hat too much on Mason Mount, in terms of improving United and closing the gap. I think he’s a good player but would he improve Manchester United? I’m not so sure.

"He’s just gone missing this last year or two."

It is hard to argue with this assessment from Keane regarding Mount's most recent form. However, since making his Premier League debut for Chelsea, Mount led the club's tally for most minutes played, most goals scored, most assists and the most chances created, meaning even with an off campaign he was still one of the Blues' key players.

His last campaign at Stamford Bridge can more than likely be written off as an