Mason Mount position concern raised after his poor start at Man Utd as Rio Ferdinand points finger of blame at Erik ten Hag

• Mount joined Man Utd in the summer
• Has struggled in his first two appearances
• Ferdinand blames Ten Hag

WHAT HAPPENED? The expectations were high after the England international made a £60m ($76m) switch to Old Trafford from Chelsea earlier this summer. However, Mount's start to life at Old Trafford has been underwhelming as he is still struggling to adapt to the new tactics and surroundings. Despite his poor form, Ferdinand has firmly stood behind the 24-year-old while suggesting that Ten Hag has not yet found the best place for his to flourish in the United team.

WHAT THEY SAID: "You can’t judge a man after two games, you can’t, because there’d be players who became legends who wouldn’t have been legends if they’d been judged after two games and told to get out," the former United defender said on his Vibe with FIVE YouTube show.

"I’m not here giving loads and loads of excuses to Mason, but that’s a fact. Look at the Chelsea team in recent years, all the players coming in, it’s hard to perform in that team because it’s so all over the place. The team at the moment isn’t playing well enough for individuals. The team isn’t playing well enough yet, so that comes under the manager, 100%. He’s got to get the team playing right. We have to see where he [Mason] fits in. I don’t know where he was brought in to play yet."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ferdinand also weighed in on Harry Maguire's situation at United amid talk of a potential new contract for Jonny Evans. The former centre-back feels that if Ten Hag does offer Evans a one-year deal, things will get even more complicated for axed skipper Maguire, as he would further slip down the squad pecking order.

"If Jonny Evans signs he [Maguire] is behind Jonny Evans I reckon," said Ferdinand.

When further pressed as to why Ten Hag has kept Maguire at the club amid interest from West Ham: "You might get something different [out of him] when the transfer window closes, I think you’d get a different response then, but he can’t afford that to happen.

"If you’re the buying club, and the manager you’re trying to buy off goes, 'I just need him out of here asap, if we don’t sell him we can’t go and buy target one and two over there' then the buying club go, 'Well now we know they’re desperate to sell, let’s low-ball them, if he’s worth £30m we’ll offer £15m and they have to take it surely'."

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? United will be back in action against Nottingham Forest on Saturday in the Premier League.