Fernandes and Mount clashed while the latter was playing for Chelsea (Picture: Getty)
Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United need players with ‘aggression’ like Mason Mount after the new teammates once clashed playing for rival clubs.
Mount became United’s first signing of the summer with Fernandes greeting him on social media with a photo of the two in a scuffle during a meeting between United and Chelsea during the 2021-22 season.
In that game, Fernandes had stepped into defend goalkeeper David de Gea, exchanging words with Mount in their brief bust-up. He recalled that moment in his welcome message to Mount this month with the caption: ‘What took you so long to sign?’
The two now line up in the same side and are expected to be key players as United attempt to close the gap on Manchester City and Arsenal this coming season.
‘We need players with that kind of aggression and passion, we need players to be like that in the games,’ said Fernandes. ‘These are the kind of players I like to play against and, even more, to have in my side, so I’m happy he’s here now.
‘Now, instead of me on the side of David, it’s me on the side of Mason defending him from someone else. Now he is on my side and I will do everything I can to defend him.
‘I said this a couple of years ago, that he’s one of the best players in the Premier League at the time and I hope he can do it again, because I think he’s a really good player.
Mount ‘one of the best players in the league’, says Fernandes (Picture: Getty)
‘He’s still really young and he has a long way to go. We’re really happy to have him here, wherever he plays, as a No.10 or No.8 or on the wing.
‘We can both do that. The most important thing is that we help the team succeed.’
Mount arrived at Old Trafford after a troubled final season with Chelsea where he struggled with injuries and inconsistent form.
When asked if the England international has something to prove at his new club, Fernandes insisted his situation is no different from anyone else’s at the club.
‘I have a point to prove, so does Licha [Martinez], Casemiro, Rapha [Varane], André [Onana], Harry [Maguire], Victor [Lindelof].
‘It’s not about him. He doesn’t have to prove anything more than anyone else.’
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The new teammates shared a heated moment on opposite sides in April 2022.
