Mason Mount can offer Manchester United something Donny van de Beek couldn't

Mason Mount had every reason to sit by the phone before Gareth Southgate named his latest England squad.

However, the call never came for a player who has been a constant feature under Southgate since his debut back in 2019, winning 36 caps in the process. That means the Manchester United midfielder - who signed for the club for £60million from Chelsea this summer - now has some extra time to get up to speed at Carrington.

It has been an indifferent start to life at Old Trafford for the 24-year-old. His form has been patchy while a calamitous run for his teammates has not provided the ideal welcome for Mount or any fellow signings.

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Due to countless injury setbacks - not least his own - Mount has been moved around the pitch, in a view to settle on his best position. If truth be told, Ten Hag and United have not been able to do that in their 11 games across the competitions and that will be one priority for them during the international break.

Mount often excelled in attack-minded roles at Chelsea but not for the typical attributes usually associated with the No.10 and wide positions. For the creativity and guile that Bruno Fernandes brings, the £60million addition is in many ways a defensive attacker.

He presses, wins the ball back high up the pitch and glues sides together in those areas. The trouble for United is there are too many broken pieces to put together.

"Mason Mount is a coaches' player and that's the best way to describe him," said ex-United captain Gary Neville prior to the transfer. "There've been many I've seen in my lifetime in football, where they probably get more respect