Mason Mount welcomes £155m Man Utd midfield overhaul despite increased competition

Mason Mount insists Manchester United's major midfield overhaul has raised standards at Old Trafford, despite the three new arrivals creating even greater competition for his own place.

United spent around £155million on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba during the summer as Michael Carrick strengthened an area viewed as a priority.

For Mount, who is still waiting for his first appearance of the season, those additions have made his route back into Carrick's starting XI considerably more difficult. However, the 27-year-old believes that level of competition is exactly what United need.

Speaking in United's pre-match programme, Mount welcomed the club's midfield investment and suggested its impact can already be felt on the training ground.

"The competition for places is high, and I think that's a must-have, because it ups the level, ups everyone's level within the team," Mount said.

"You can see it already, the standard in training has gone up, so that will only improve the squad as a whole."

Tielemans and Santos have already started settling into Carrick's side, while Baleba is still awaiting his debut after arriving from Brighton with an injury problem.

Mount's positive response comes at an important stage of his United career.

The former Chelsea midfielder joined for an initial £55m three years ago, but injuries and inconsistent form have prevented him from establishing himself as a regular. He has managed only 25 Premier League starts across those three seasons and scored seven goals for the club.

Mount was an unused substitute during the recent 2-2 draw with Everton and could receive another opportunity against Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday.

The bigger question is where Carrick now sees him fitting into this United squad.

Bruno Fernandes remains United's principal creative midfielder, while Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha provide established options in the more advanced positions.

Playing Mount deeper creates another selection battle.

Santos, Tielemans and eventually Baleba will all compete for midfield minutes, while Kobbie Mainoo provides Carrick with another option.

Mount's versatility once made him particularly valuable for Chelsea and England, but at United he now needs to turn that flexibility into a clearly defined role.

His comments suggest he is embracing the challenge. The next step is demonstrating on the pitch that he can benefit from the higher standards he believes United's summer recruitment has created.

Thursday's Champions League meeting with Sabah could provide Mount with an opportunity to make his first appearance of the campaign.

With Carrick now possessing considerably greater midfield depth, Mount's challenge is no longer simply returning to full fitness. He needs to establish exactly what role he can make his own in this new-look United side.