August 17th 2024.
Next week, Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, may have a difficult decision to make. He has been advised to drop Mason Mount from the starting lineup in order to make room for Joshua Zirkzee in their upcoming game against Brighton. Mount, who had a rough first season at the club due to injuries, has been a regular feature in the team during pre-season. He even started in the Community Shield match against Manchester City last week and retained his spot for their first Premier League game against Fulham on Friday.
However, after 61 minutes in the Fulham game, Mount was replaced by Zirkzee, and the team seemed to lose some control of the game. But Zirkzee, who had come on to replace Mount, ended up scoring the winning goal in the 87th minute, securing a victory for United under ten Hag's leadership. It's worth noting that United had started the game without a recognized center forward due to an injury to Ramsus Hojlund's hamstring.
Zirkzee's debut performance has definitely put him in a strong position to fill the void up top and earn a spot in the starting lineup for their next game against Brighton. In an interview with beIN Sports, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel expressed his belief that Mount should be the one to make way for Zirkzee. He noted that while Mount did score a goal and played decently, he needs to have a standout season, and his performance against Fulham did not meet that expectation. Mikel suggested starting Zirkzee and moving Bruno Fernandes back a bit, as he believes United needs to have a recognized striker in their formation.
Another former player, Jason McAteer, agreed with Mikel and stated that Mount's place in the team is now in danger. He criticized Mount for not showing enough energy and impact in the game against Fulham, despite being given the opportunity to start by ten Hag. McAteer believes that if anyone is going to be taken out of the team to make way for Zirkzee, it should be Mount.
It will be interesting to see what decision ten Hag makes for their next game, especially with Zirkzee's debut goal and the opinions of former players. Manchester United fans can stay updated on all the news, exclusives, and analysis by signing up for updates and subscribing to our privacy policy, which is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
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