Erik Ten Hag explains Mason Mount substitution against Brighton
Mason Mount was replaced by Joshua Zirkzee after halftime
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has disclosed that Mason Mount reported a fitness issue during half-time of the team’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Trailing 1-0 to Danny Welbeck’s opener, United made a substitution at the break, bringing on Joshua Zirkzee, who had scored the winning goal against Fulham the previous week.
Zirkzee replaced Mount, who had been active during the first half.
Ten Hag clarified that the change was not tactical but rather a precautionary measure, as the club decided not to take any risks with Mount’s fitness.
“It was forced,” Ten Hag told reporters at his post-match press conference on the south coast.
“He mentioned an issue and I don’t want to take the risk with him.
“I don’t know how much of a worry it is, I can’t say at this moment.
“But I think, when we have the good bench, and we can bring in Zirkzee, then don’t hesitate.
“Bring Mount off and bring [on] a player who can have an impact.”
In a separate interview with TNT Sports, the boss added: “It was a decision, he had some problems and he had an issue.
“We know the history of Mason, so we took him out.”
Mount will be aiming to secure a third consecutive Premier League start when Manchester United face Liverpool at Old Trafford next Sunday.
The midfielder has previously tasted victory against the Merseyside club, having scored the winner for Chelsea at Anfield in 2021.
His inclusion in United’s lineup has also allowed captain Bruno Fernandes to push further up the pitch, operating in a more advanced ‘false-nine’ role.
A disappointed Erik ten Hag expressed that his Manchester United side needed to be more clinical at both ends of the pitch following their defeat to Brighton.
“I’m disappointed because we should have taken at least a draw,” he said.
“We could have won as well but, in the end, you have no points and that is disappointing because it could have been very different.
“It is disappointing, especially when over long parts in the game, you have control and we are controlling the game in possession and we are doing so well.
“We conceded two unnecessary goals, very avoidable.
“That is our feeling, we concede two soft goals where we should act better as a team.
“We have to talk, we have to be aligned in such moments what to do and everybody knows their job and, as a team, we protect our goal.”
Ten Hag said: “I think there were some very good parts in the game.
“We had a lot of control in possession, we created good chances, we showed resilience, we came back and then we scored what we thought was a winning goal – so [it was] bad luck that the ball was on the line just before the line.
“It’s touched by [Joshua] Zirkzee so that’s a pity, you have to take this, it’s a disappointment but I can take a lot of positives from the performance.
“We have to learn, you can’t drop points so unnecessarily.
“If you protect the goal like we do, then you drop points. Football is about details. We have to do better in such occasions.
“We needed to be more clinical in both boxes and how we concede the goals is very soft.
“It shouldn’t have happened, we should be better organised in such moments.
“Also on the other hand, on the other side, when you create the chances we did, we should score more goals – especially the one with the overload, where everyone thought it was a goal [the disallowed effort in the second half].
“We need to be consistent so that is a step backwards.
“If you can’t win, then take the draw.
“We have to keep improving, work hard and that’s our job to do.
“Also, we have to work on both sides of our box game to be more effective because football, at the end of the day, is about scoring goals.”
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