Mason Mount and Andrey Santos have injected life into Manchester United's midfield during pre-season, just as the club edges closer to offloading striker Joshua Zirkzee.
United's 5-0 thrashing of Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday showcased the burgeoning partnership. Santos, a £83m signing from Chelsea, sat deep, collecting the ball from defenders and pressuring opponents. That allowed Mount – the 27-year-old signed from Chelsea for £55m in 2023 – to push forward, find space and drive the team up the pitch.
“Mason Mount and Andrey Santos shine in midfield as Man Utd near £30m Zirkzee exit to Juventus”
“He's a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more and work off him,” Mount said of Santos. “Defensively as well, we're both players that want to get around it, put tackles in, win the ball back and be aggressive. I've really enjoyed it.”
The midfield has been a summer fixation for United. After spending £83m on Santos and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa, the departures of Casemiro (contract expired) and Manuel Ugarte (ruled out for months with a knee injury) left a hole. Bournemouth's Alex Scott and Tyler Adams, Roma's Manu Kone, and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni have all been linked. But Mount and Santos may offer the solution closer to home.
While the midfield looks promising, Zirkzee's future is elsewhere. United are in advanced talks with Juventus over a loan deal with a £30m option to buy. The 25-year-old, signed for £36.5m from Bologna in 2024, started only one of Michael Carrick's 17 games last season. He scored just two goals – the last in December against Wolves – and missed the Netherlands' World Cup squad.
Despite scoring a superb solo goal and registering an assist in the Rosenborg win, Zirkzee is keen on a return to Serie A. Juventus turned their attention to him after a move for Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani collapsed. Roma are also interested.
Dutch legend Ruud Gullit urged Zirkzee to leave. “Joshua Zirkzee made a mistake moving to Manchester United – he should have stayed in Italy,” Gullit told Gambling Insider. “He arrived at United when there was a lot of bad energy around the club. It was the wrong time for him.”
Zirkzee's departure would leave Benjamin Sesko as United's only senior centre-forward, with Marcus Rashford returning from a loan at Barcelona. United have spent £85m on three signings so far, but the striker position remains a glaring gap.