With just 12 months remaining on his Chelsea contract, heads were turned when Manchester United set after Mason Mount's signature last summer.
After several weeks of negotiations United reached a breakthrough with the London club, bringing Mount to Old Trafford for a fee that could eventually be worth £60million. Manager Erik ten Hag wanted to add younger legs to his midfield and it was expected that the England international would succeed Christian Eriksen in the middle.
Eriksen, alongside Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, helped form an excellent three-man midfield last season and Mount was meant to bring the freshness required. Yet it has not turned out to be the campaign he would have hoped for.
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Hampered by injury issues, he has been restricted to just 18 appearances in all competitions. He returned from a long-term calf problem in March, but has failed to make a single start amid six appearances.
Injuries have disrupted any hopes he had of finding consistency while Kobbie Mainoo's sharp rise has not helped Mount's case. The teenager, who is a strong contender to win United's Player of the Season award, has made the No.8 berth, which Mount described as his preferred role after joining United, his own, producing a string of fine performances.
Ahead of next season, United acknowledge they must strengthen their midfield options again but this time with the addition of a defensive-midfielder to replace Casemiro. Mainoo has established himself as a progressive, forward-thinking player, so a defensive specialist is required.
Should United achieve that transfer objective, it is highly likely Casemiro's successor will join Mainoo and Fernandes in midfield. The new recruit will be expected to provide defensive nous, Mainoo the link between the defence and the attack and Fernandes the creativity.
That prospect leaves Mount out of United's first-choice line-up. By his own admission, the 25-year-old is at his fluent best as a deep-lying playmaker, meaning he and Mainoo are squabbling for the same spt.
United are set to try and offload Eriksen this summer, while Scott McTominay is also in danger of being shown the door. It still leaves Mount in a tricky position, given he's gone from one of United's biggest signings of the Ten Hag era to facing a fight for regular starts.
There is an argument to suggest he could play wide, just as he did for Chelsea at times, but it would be pointless to shoehorn him into an unnatural position to ensure he gets the game time he will be craving. He needs to be utilised in his natural role.
Mount will have the opportunity to try and end this season as strongly as possible and start afresh come pre-season but the fact he's not been included on the four-man list of players United deem untouchable ahead of the summer window shows the club will entertain offers for him if they arise and are enticing.
Given how much time he has spent on the sidelines this season bids are unlikely to come. Mount deserves a chance to try and offer a true account of himself.. But securing one could be his toughest challenge yet.
