Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea to forget about Mason Mount ’s transfer to Manchester United and look to the future.
Mount completed his move to Old Trafford with United paying an initial £55m plus up to £5m in add-ons for the England international. He is the Red Devils’ first summer signing as manager Erik ten Hag readies his squad for Champions League football.
The England international had not been one of the top 20 paid players at Stamford Bridge and with multiple attacking arrivals at the West London club across the past two transfer windows, his future at the club had dominated headlines for several months prior to his departure.
Mount had become a symbol for Chelsea ’s youth system – which had produced multiple international players in recent years but many had to seek first-team opportunities, including Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori at Roma and Milan respectively.
Attacking midfielder Mount had starred for Chelsea on their run to winning the Champions League in 2021 and was a key member of Thomas Tuchel’s side who also reached three domestic cup finals in the space of 12 months. The Blues allowing his exit to a direct Premier League rival was not met with universal approval among the club’s fanbase.
However, new Chelsea boss Pochettino refused to be drawn into commenting on the 24-year-old and insisted that his focus was only on the players available to him. Mount is one of multiple exits from Stamford Bridge this summer – as the club drastically slims down its bloated squad.
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“When I talk about the future, it's about the players in the squad,” Pochettino said at his introductory press conference on Friday. “He is a Manchester United player now. “I don't know what happened in the past, we need to be focused on our players and move and try to build a nice story.”
Mount said upon completing the move to Old Trafford: “It’s never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.
"Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I’m joining, and I can’t wait to be part of this group’s drive to win major trophies."
Mount added: “Everyone can see that the club has made big steps forward under Erik ten Hag. Having met with the manager and discussed his plans, I couldn’t be more excited for the seasons ahead, and am ready for the hard work expected here.
"I am hugely ambitious; I know how amazing it feels to win major trophies and what it takes to do it. I will be giving everything to experience that again at Manchester United.”
