Man Utd handed huge fitness boost before Real Sociedad second leg | OneFootball

Manchester United have welcomed midfielder Mason Mount back to training ahead of Thursday's Europa League last 16 second leg against Real Sociedad.

Mount has been plagued by injuries since his 2023 move from Chelsea for an initial £55m. He has managed just 12 appearances this season, the last of which came in December's Manchester derby, in which he suffered a hamstring injury.

After three months on the sidelines, however, Mount is now back in team training as he seeks to make a comeback from his latest injury.

The Athletic stress that United have been particularly cautious with Mount's return. The midfielder has missed 49 games through injury since moving to Old Trafford in 2023, managing to feature just 32 times across all competitions.

Now back in training, Mount enters the final stage of his recovery. He is not expected to be involved against La Real on Thursday but is on the cusp of a long-awaited return to bolster the midfield options available to Ruben Amorim.

When healthy, Mount was deployed as an attacking midfielder in Amorim's 3-4-3 setup, and his return could be crucial as Amad Diallo's injury and Antony's January exit has left United incredibly short in the position.

Mount can also help out in a deeper role, where United have been without Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo and Toby Collyer - the latter has since made his return.

United head into Thursday's game needing a victory after a 1-1 draw away in the first leg left everything to play for in the return fixture.