Manchester United are closing in on their first signing of the summer transfer window after agreeing a £60million deal with Chelsea to sign midfielder Mason Mount.
United, who will travel to the United States next month for their pre-season tour, have agreed to sign the England international for an initial £55m fee, with another £5m to be potentially paid in add-ons. Mount has already agreed personal terms and is expected to put pen to paper on a five-year contract.
Presuming United avoid hitting any late snags, Mount should officially become a United player next week following a medical. He will add another dimension to manager Erik ten Hag's midfield options and will end their pursuit of another central midfielder.
Ten Hag is understood to believe that Mount will provide the energy and thrust that he is often looking for in his players. At the age of 24, he will also offer much younger legs in comparison to United's other midfield options.
READ MORE: How John Murtough reached a breakthrough for Mason Mount
United, of course, drafted in two central midfielders last summer, signing Christian Eriksen and Casemiro. The latter arrived in August after the club had failed to land top target Frenkie de Jong.
United viewed De Jong as the ideal candidate to build their midfield around, looking at his ability to control a game and boss the ball. Casemiro, however, boasted a completely different profile, though many United fans felt he was the type of player that the club needed at the time, pointing to his world-class defensive capabilities.
Therefore, it is believed that United could utilise Mount in the same way that they planned to use De Jong, tasking him with controlling possession and dictating proceedings in midfield. However, many assume that the England international is restricted to playing in the No.10 position and operating as an attacking midfielder.
Though he is capable of playing closer to the forwards, Mount, by his own admission, is at his best when operating slightly deeper, playing in the No.8 role, similarly to the way Eriksen did in his first season at Old Trafford.
Speaking last November, Mount said: "I like to think I'm a traditional midfielder even though I can play a number of roles for the team. I've always said that I'm best as a No.8 and I've played there ever since I was a young kid.
"I like to work from box-to-box, help out defensively but also get forward to score and assist goals for the team. That's where I think my strengths are. I'm versatile, so I can adapt and play higher up or a lot deeper.
"For me, in this day and age certainly, being able to play different positions is so key. You see formations change even during games and you can play two or three different roles in a game."
With that admission in mind, Mount is likely to replace Eriksen in Ten Hag's first-choice midfield. Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes are guaranteed starters in the engine room, meaning Eriksen is likely to make way for United's impending new arrival.
Eriksen, despite enjoying a brilliant first season in M16, lost his mojo towards the end of the campaign, evidently suffering from fatigue. United faced a relentless schedule last term and a lack of sufficient depth stopped Ten Hag from being able to mix things up as often as he would have liked to keep things fresh.
On the flip side, however, Mount, should Fernandes fall injured or be unavailable for any other reason, would be able to push up into the No.10 position and weave his magic from that area of the pitch. He is capable of creating chances from all areas of the engine room and it is that sort of versatility that has clearly caught Ten Hag's attention.
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