Erik ten Hag has told Mason Mount he wants him to be ‘a very important player’ for Manchester United after completing his transfer from Chelsea.
The Red Devils have wrapped up their first piece of business of the summer, bringing in Mount from Chelsea in a £55m deal plus £5m in add-ons.
Liverpool and Arsenal also showed interest in the England midfielder while Mauricio Pochettino was eager to keep him at Stamford Bridge ahead of his first campaign in charge at the club.
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But ten Hag has been determined to secure Mount’s services, having tracked the player ever since he first caught his eye during a loan spell in Netherlands with Vitesse Arnhem as a teenager.
After being presented as a Man United player for the first time on Wednesday, Mount posed for pictures with his new manager.
The Dutchman told his newest signing with a smile: ‘I want you to be a very important player for this team’.
Speaking for the first time as a United player, Mount revealed his conversations with ten Hag was a big factor in his decision to head to Manchester.
‘Everyone can see that the club has made big steps forward under Erik ten Hag,’ Mount said.
‘Having met with the manager and discussed his plans, I couldn’t be more excited for the seasons ahead, and am ready for the hard work expected here.
‘I am hugely ambitious; I know how amazing it feels to win major trophies and what it takes to do it.
‘I will be giving everything to experience that again at Manchester United.”
In a measure of the faith United have shown in Mount, he has been handed the club’s no7 shirt, vacated by Cristiano Ronaldo last year.
