Paul Scholes admits he's been disappointed by Mason Mount's lack of goals in recent seasons at Chelsea, though Gary Neville does not believe the reported Manchester United target should necessarily be judged on how many goals he scores each season.
Mount's future at Chelsea is becoming increasingly uncertain, with the 24-year-old set to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge. Talks over a fresh deal have been ongoing for some time, but a lack of progress and growing frustration could see time called on an 18-year spell with the club.
United are in the market for a midfielder, with Erik ten Hag keen to add more technical quality in that area of the pitch. Last summer's failed pursuit of Frenkie de Jong hints at the calibre of player wanted by the Dutchman, with a similar type of player on this summer's shopping list.
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Mount does provide that technical quality, and despite a below-par campaign at Chelsea, remains a favourite among coaches and pundits alike - including former Reds captain Neville.
"Mason Mount is a coach’s player," Neville told Sky Sports. "I think that is the best way to describe him and there have been many I have seen in my lifetime in football where they get more respect from the coaching staff for what they do than they do from the fans that are watching them.
"So I’m not surprised Mason Mount is a target for Manchester United. I don’t think it would be a priority here, but he [Ten Hag] does want midfield players. You think about Dutch coaches, they want to dominate possession, he [Ten Hag] wants that De Jong, he wants players who can handle the ball.
"He loves Eriksen, he loves Sabitzer, he loves Fernandes. He’s left Fred and McTominay out of the team more often than not because he loves more technical players and Mason Mount is a technical player who is available."
After breaking into the Chelsea first team in 2019, Mount went on to win the Champions League two years later and was twice named the club's Player of the Year. However, the England international has struggled to hit the same heights this season, his three goals and two assists fewer than he's managed in any other campaign at Stamford Bridge.
That stagnation is in part down to more wide-ranging problems at Chelsea, who are currently 12th and have scored just 37 league goals all season, but it is a point of concern for Scholes.
"Look, I like Mason Mount," Scholes told Premier League Productions. "Does he do enough? I thought when he first came onto the scene, ‘have they got a new Frank Lampard?’. I know we talked before about not comparing players to these types.
"But I expected him to score goals, a lot more goals, in big games, to win you games, he hasn’t really kicked on from there. I think a change of club might not be a bad thing for him."
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