Manchester United's pre-season preparations were disrupted by a worrying double injury blow during their friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on Saturday, with both Mason Mount and Tom Heaton forced off the pitch.
Mount, handed a starting role against the European champions, lasted fewer than 20 minutes before signalling to the bench that something was wrong. The midfielder appeared to have sustained a foot problem and, after a brief consultation with United's coaching staff on the touchline, was unable to continue. He made his way down the tunnel and was replaced by Tyler Fletcher.
The setback is a familiar and frustrating one for Mount, whose time at Old Trafford has been repeatedly disrupted by fitness problems since his move from Chelsea in 2023. Across his first two seasons at the club, he managed just 31 Premier League appearances, many of them coming from the bench. There had been hope of a turnaround last season when he earned an extended run in the side, only for a hamstring injury to limit him to 12 league starts. In total, the 27-year-old has now spent close to 400 days sidelined through injury during his United career.
The latest scare will do little to ease concerns for manager Michael Carrick, who may now be forced to reconsider his midfield options ahead of the new campaign. United have already invested heavily in that area of the pitch this summer, bringing in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos for a combined fee in the region of £90million. However, the departure of Casemiro and an ongoing injury to Manuel Ugarte mean the club's midfield depth remains a point of vulnerability, something Mount's fresh injury issue only serves to highlight.
United were already trailing when Mount went off, having fallen behind inside the opening two minutes of the match through a goal from Ibrahim Mbaye. The early setback set the tone for a difficult afternoon against a PSG side that arrived in Gothenburg as reigning European champions.
Matters were compounded shortly after the restart when goalkeeper Tom Heaton, at 40 years old still part of United's squad, suffered a right hamstring injury. Heaton was hurt as he rushed off his line to make a clearance, and he too had to be withdrawn, with Dermot Mee coming on in his place between the posts.
The extent of both injuries remains unclear, and United's medical staff will now assess Mount and Heaton in the coming days to determine how serious the issues are and how long either player might be sidelined. With the Premier League season fast approaching, the timing is far from ideal for a club already navigating question marks over squad depth in key positions.
United are scheduled to begin their league campaign away at newly-promoted Hull City on August 22, and Carrick will be hoping for positive updates on both players before then. Any prolonged absence for Mount in particular would be a significant blow, given his history of fitness struggles and the growing importance placed on him within the squad following the club's midfield investment this summer.
For now, attention turns to scans and further assessments as United look to establish the severity of the damage before finalising their plans for the opening weeks of the new season.
Based on reporting from standard-football.