Mason Mount was substituted at halftime during Manchester United’s loss to Brighton after reporting an injury.
Brighton secured a 2-1 victory over United on the south coast, with Joao Pedro’s 95th-minute goal making the difference.
Mount was replaced by Joshua Zirkzee at the break due to a potential injury, adding to United’s disappointing result.
Last season, Mount managed only 20 appearances across all competitions after his £55 million move from Chelsea, largely due to injuries.
Although the 25-year-old started this season fully fit thanks to preseason preparations, Erik ten Hag had some unfortunate news to share after the match.
When asked why Mount was withdrawn, Ten Hag explained, “It was necessary.” He mentioned an issue, and I didn’t want to take any risks. At this moment, I’m not sure how serious it is.
“But our bench is strong.” If you can substitute Zirkzee, do it. Bring on a player who can make an impact, and we saw that Josh had an excellent game.
Mount’s injury status remains unclear, and he might be unavailable for United’s next match against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Brighton led 1-0 at halftime, courtesy of a tap-in from Kaoru Mitoma’s cross, which may have prompted Ten Hag to make changes anyway.
United equalized in the second half with a goal from Zirkzee, who also scored the season opener against Fulham last weekend.
Amad Diallo then ran in behind to level the score. Shortly after, substitute Alejandro Garnacho seemed to have put United ahead 2-1, but video replays showed that Garnacho’s shot struck an offside Zirkzee before crossing the line, leading VAR to disallow the goal.
