Ruben Amorim ready to unleash his very own Ryan Gravenberch at Manchester United

Mason Mount has yet to properly ignite in Manchester United colours, but the former Chelsea star may just have been given the biggest signal yet that his time is coming.

The fit-again midfielder was signed by Erik ten Hag last summer and, initially, it was hoped that he could step into their engine room alongside Casemiro and strike-up a winning combination. However, the plan never really caught fire and Ten Hag abandoned Mount as a double pivot option amid form and fitness concerns.

It was hardly surprising, either. Mount, now 25, enjoyed his best days at Chelsea further forward in their No.10 role or while operating on the flanks. He was road-blocked by Bruno Fernandes in his main position under Ten Hag, and the Dutchman's penchant for inverted forwards made it difficult for him out wide, too.

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United, for all their issues within the squad, are blessed with right-footed left wingers, so much so that they were able to cast off Jadon Sancho - to Chelsea, incidentally - leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to 'fight' it out for the left-hand side with the other one regularly 'sacrificed' and made to settle for a spot on the right.

Mount would have taken that opportunity, no questions asked, but in any case it always felt as thought he would be a fill-in player under Ten Hag and in his preferred system. Now that Ruben Amorim has stepped in, though, with that comes added incentive for Mount to really become part of the jigsaw.

"Mason Mount... I have to tell you I love that kid," Amorim said to club media before his first match.

A good start, then, and it's clear to see Mount has made a positive first impression with the new head coach. "You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad," added Amorim. "And this is the most important thing for me.

"I know he was suffering from injuries, he was not on the pitch, but now he's trying to stay fit, and we hope he can continue to be fit to show all the talent that he's shown, for example, in Chelsea."

In a glowing reference for his No.7, the now-former Sporting CP head coach - who is expected to deploy a fresh 3-4-3 formation at Old Trafford and beyond - concluded: "He played in this system [before], so it's perfect for him.

"I have two positions for Mason Mount. So he should be very happy!"

He should be very happy, indeed. By the end of the Ten Hag reign, he didn't even have one - even though United's ex-manager did believe in Mount enough to insist he wore the club's iconic No.7 shirt.

A change in manager brings fresh thinking, ideas and opportunities. That's certainly been the case across the M62, meanwhile, with Arne Slot enjoying early-season success at United's biggest rivals Liverpool, and that's in no small part down to the form of past United target Ryan Gravenberch in his new-found role as a holding midfielder.

The teased shift for Mount, perhaps, might not be so drastic. However, the main change has been sparked up by a public endorsement from Amorim that simply can't fail to inspire Mount to take the next step.

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