Mason Mount’s half-time substitution in Manchester United’s victory over Crystal Palace was planned ahead of time.
Mason Mount’s substitution at halftime in Manchester United’s 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday raised eyebrows, especially given his previous absence from the Red Devils’ lineup.
Erik ten Hag, though, has explained that Mount’s half-time withdrawal was part of a pre-planned strategy, allaying concerns about a further injury setback.
Mason Mount, Manchester United’s £65 million summer signing, made his debut and played an important role in the club’s 3-0 victory.
He made an important contribution, starting the play for Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal and assisting Casemiro’s score from a corner six minutes later.
Despite his impactful 45-minute performance, Mount was substituted at half-time.
Fortunately, Ten Hag confirmed after the match that this decision was made in advance. He explained, “He is returning from an injury, and we have to build this up.
If you go too quickly, you get a drop, and we want to avoid that.”
Ten Hag also shared his overall satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “It is a good night; I think we played quite well and dominated the game.
That was what we were looking for. We made a step forward at Burnley with how we defend, and today, on the ball, we made another step, and there is still a lot to come.”
Another player who made a significant contribution to the match was midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who played a full 60 minutes during his full debut, even taking on the role of a left-back for a considerable portion of the game.
Amrabat expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, emphasizing the importance of winning and the desire to give the fans more to enjoy.
He acknowledged that he is not currently at his best due to factors like an imperfect pre-season and a recent injury but stressed the importance of playing games to regain strength and improve.
