Gareth Southgate has said that Mason Mount’s lack of match fitness after an extended period on the sidelines through injury is the main reason for the player’s exclusion from the England squad.
The Manchester United midfielder was not called up by Southgate ahead of the Three Lions’ games against Australia and Italy.
Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire were the two United stars who were selected.
Following his £55 million summer move from Chelsea to Old Trafford, Mount saw life at his new club disrupted early on when he picked up an injury during the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
He returned when United faced Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. The 24-year-old registered an assist as he only managed to complete 45 minutes before being taken off.
It’s clear Mount is still recovering and steadily getting back to his groove considering he has yet to play a whole 90 minutes of football since he returned from injury.
The positive thing is the Englishman has been one of United’s brightest sparks during a period of turmoil and poor performances on the pitch.
Southgate spoke to reporters and said about the United star, “Physically he’s getting back up to a level.”
“He’s been an important player for us and we like him a lot.”
“But I didn’t think he’d done enough to be ahead of the others at this moment in time.”
Mount’s last appearance for England came during the national team’s quarter-final clash against France in Qatar.
He came on as a substitute as his side were eliminated from the World Cup by Les Bleus.