Mount's return may be delayed again, if not sold this summer, when will it be? Manchester United's injuries force assistant coach to step onto the field.

Manchester United carried out their preparations for the Aston Villa match at Carrington training ground on Wednesday. Earlier, Carrick had organized intense gym workouts for the players. In the full team session, wing-back Mazraoui, who was injured and left the pitch in the previous game against Newcastle United, was listed. Yet, midfielder Mason Mount, valued at £60 million, was absent. According to the Manchester Evening News, he remains injured and will not be available for the Villa fixture.

The 27-year-old Mount has been injured since early February. Before the Newcastle match, Michael Carrick indicated that Mount was getting closer to a return, but he has been saying this recently... Mount did not even go to Carrington, suggesting that an immediate comeback is unlikely.

It must be said that Mount's injury situation this season has improved significantly compared to before. Excluding the weekend match against Villa, he has been injured three times so far, missing nine games. In the 2024/25 season, Mount was absent for 23 matches; in 2023/24, it was even more, reaching 26 games. Of course, this is also related to Manchester United having fewer matches this season, often only one game per week; otherwise, Mount's absences might have doubled.

Mount naturally does not wish to leave Manchester United, where his earnings are astonishing—£250,000 per week, ranking third in the team. The transfer deal for the English midfielder is arguably the worst in the club's history. At Chelsea, his weekly wage was only £80,000; the Blues offered £200,000 per week, but he rejected it. His agent demanded £240,000 per week, and the two sides could not reach an agreement.

Ultimately, Manchester United paid £55 million in fixed transfer fees plus £5 million in add-ons to sign him when he had only one year left on his contract, and granted him a weekly salary of £250,000, with £150,000 as fixed income. Since joining United, Mount has been plagued by injuries and had limited starting opportunities, scoring only seven goals and providing two assists so far.

Moreover, his injury history is not a secret. In the 2022/23 season, he underwent surgery for a pelvic injury, which is considered the root of many of his health issues. Chelsea emerged as the biggest winner, profiting handsomely from selling Mount, even though they later bought Garnacho for £40 million, still clearly gaining from the deal.

If Manchester United can find a buyer this summer, selling Mount would be a reasonable decision; otherwise, as his contract approaches 2028, his value will only continue to decline.

Lisandro Martínez, Matthijs de Ligt, and Patrick Doku have returned to Carrington but did not participate in normal training; they are still in individual recovery sessions. Therefore, it is almost certain that the three will miss the match against Villa.

Manchester United's defensive line has many injuries, forcing assistant coach Jonny Evans to put on a training vest and step onto the field, playing as a defender in training matches! Evans retired only last year, briefly served as loan and youth development director, and left United in December. The following month, he returned to assist Darren Fletcher as interim head coach and has remained in Carrick's coaching staff.

Evans primarily focuses on defender training and set-piece offense and defense, but wearing the vest in training clearly indicates he participated in small-sided games. Under Carrick, currently only Maguire, Lenny Yoro, and Eden Haven are available as first-team center-backs; indeed, there are not enough players for two-team matches! Besides Martínez and de Ligt being injured, young defender Tyler Fredericksen is also sidelined.

In the final moments of the Newcastle match, when Mazraoui was injured and had to be substituted, Carrick had to send Tyrell Malacia onto the pitch—his first appearance this year, but unfortunately, his performance was poor, easily bypassed by Osula who scored the winning goal.

At Carrington, Carrick's coaching staff arranged one-on-one drills between Amad Diallo and Malacia. This might help Malacia improve his defensive skills, but perhaps more importantly, it boosts Diallo's confidence in dribbling. Mazraoui has recovered, and Luke Shaw is also training normally, meaning there is no possibility of Malacia playing against Villa.