Erik ten Hag has been urged to drop Mason Mount from his Manchester United lineup to make room for Joshua Zirkzee in their next game against Brighton.
Mount featured regularly for United during pre-season after his first campaign at the club was wrecked by injury last term.
The former Chelsea star started in the Community Shield against Manchester City last week, keeping his place in the side for Friday’s opening Premier League match against Fulham.
Mount was replaced after 61 minutes with United ceding some of control of the game following his withdrawal. Joshua Zirkzee however produced the winner after 87 minutes having come onto replace Mount, sealing victory for Erik ten Hag’s side.
United had started the game with no recognised centre forward with Ramsus Hojlund sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Zirkzee has made a strong case to come into the side and fill that void up top after his debut heroics and will hope his goal earns him a place in the side when United travel to Brighton next weekend.
Speaking on beIN Sports, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel insisted it should be Mount who makes way for the Dutch star.
‘He scored the goal and he played ok coming on,’ Obi Mikel said. ‘For me, maybe yes [he starts against Brighton].
‘I keep saying Mason Mount needs to have a really good season and he didn’t do it again today. So you think of starting Joshua and bringing Bruno [Fernandes] a bit deeper… you want to see United playing with a striker.’
Former Liverpool man Jason McAteer agreed Mount’s place in the side is now in danger, accusing the midfielder of ‘limping in and out of the game’ against Fulham.
‘Mason Mount… you’ve got to give a little bit more, you’ve been given the opportunity,’ he said.
‘Your manager has said “I’m starting you the first game of the season, show me what you’ve got.”
‘He just limped in and out of the game, there was no real energy about his performance, he didn’t get on the ball, he didn’t offer himself, he didn’t make things happen.
‘If you’re taking someone out of the team to open it up for Zirkzee, it’s probably him.’
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