Europa League final: Mason Mount’s Manchester United road to recovery leads him to Bilbao

Mason Mount has never lost his belief that one day a moment would come to transform his time at Manchester United.

After an injury-ravaged time at the club since joining in June 2023, his first goal as a United player at Old Trafford on 8 May may just have been that moment.

United were struggling, unconvincing in their quest to hold off Athletic Bilbao and reach the Europa League final.

After a 3-0 first-leg win, United were 1-0 down and progressing to the final was not a foregone conclusion.

Up stepped Mount. The midfielder turned quickly onto a short pass from Leny Yoro and curled a shot from just inside the penalty area into the corner of the net.

The goal released the building tension in the stadium. Eighteen minutes later, Mount scored again, although by that time Ruben Amorim’s side were clear and the meeting with Tottenham in Bilbao was already secure.

“It has not been easy,” the 26-year-old reflected. “But I’ve stayed very focused and always had the end goal in my mind, always felt it would come good, that something will happen and I’ll get a moment.

“Obviously, I’ve had a bit of time for it to sink in now. I watched the goals and the whole game over a couple times.

“It was an amazing night for me. Everything just happened so quickly. I feel like it was a bit of like a flow state, I wasn’t thinking much and then I scored two goals, and we win the game.”