Manchester United controversial £55m signing could be big winner under Ruben Amorim

It is very easy to dismiss Mason Mount's return to Manchester United training as a possible 'boost' for incoming head coach Ruben Amorim, but there should be a renewed feeling of positivity around the club.

Amorim will begin work in his new role next Monday, and Mount will be one of the high-profile stars he will spend time with during the international break, given his anticipated absence from the next England side.

Mount returns to United training with a point to prove. It might be harsh to label the £55 million an outright 'flop' when he was only signed a year ago, but there can be no escaping that he has failed to live up to expectations so far.

United paid a premium to sign the Chelsea star after he had entered the final year of his contract and were wary that they would most likely miss out on his signature as a free agent had they waited until the end of the season.

The issue for Mount is he never seemed like an obvious fit under Erik ten Hag. The 25-year-old is clearly at his best in an attacking midfield role, a position he was never likely to play when club captain Bruno Fernandes did so as well.

It has meant that even when Mount hasn't been injured (he has now missed 30 competitive games through three separate injuries since he moved to Old Trafford) he has rarely been allowed to showcase his skills in his best position. The only time he did so was at the start of this season when Ten Hag experimented with a 4-2-2-2 approach, which saw them play some of their most coherent football against Fulham and in the first half against Brighton.

Mount's subsequent absence was hardly a decisive factor in the poor performances that led to Ten Hag being sacked. Still, his return to action will coincide with Amorim's arrival and a switch to a 3-4-3 formation that could see two attacking midfielders utilised behind Rasmus Hojlund.

It must be said, Amorim is most likely to utilise Bruno Fernandes and either Marcus Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho in the two support roles to begin with. At Sporting, he uses traditional wingers Francisco Trincão and Pedro Gonçalves in the roles, so it is less likely Mount and Joshua Zirkzee will start matches there at least. What does seem certain is Mount will get opportunities from the bench as fresh legs to cover for the likes of Amad Diallo, Rashford, and Garnacho in the support roles. There is even a chance Fernandes could be dropped deeper into one of the two central midfield roles, and increase the likelihood of Mount being utilised there instead.

Even if he doesn't have a key role to begin with under the new boss, Mount's work rate and defensive capabilities are sure to make him a key asset to the side as they embark on the next stage of their journey, and the formation change could make him one of the unlikely winners from the managerial change.

After so long in the shadows, it is time to Mount a comeback.