Mason Mount could now give Manchester United what they have been missing most

The 2022/23 campaign was unlike anything any of us had ever experienced before.

After those in suits made the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup back in 2010, it meant that the tournament would be played slap-bang in the middle of the domestic season to avoid players contesting the greatest show on earth in sweltering conditions in June and July. It meant the Premier League campaign was divided into two halves and the second was nothing short of relentless.

The relentlessness of Manchester United's schedule was, of course, made all the worse because of their progress in the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Europa League. The Reds reached the final of both domestic cup competitions last term and reached the last-eight in Europe.

It meant Erik ten Hag's first season in charge at Old Trafford was a 62-game marathon. In normal circumstances that would not have seemed all that bad, but the hindrance of the World Cup before Christmas meant their fixture schedule after the restart was never-ending.

Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN's Man United app packed with premium features? Click here.

After resuming the campaign with a 2-0 win over Burnley in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup just four days before Christmas, it was not until late-March that United had a free midweek slot again. They were constantly flittering between four competitions, meaning there was hardly any time for Ten Hag to work with his players on the training ground between matches.

Balancing four different competitions is a difficult enough task in itself, never mind when you have ambitions of winning all three cup competitions. Ten Hag made it clear from the outset of his premiership that he would treat every