Mason Mount is confident he and Andrey Santos can form a strong midfield partnership at Manchester United following early success in pre-season.

Mount joined United three years ago but has struggled to nail down a place in the starting line-up, with injuries limiting him to just 72 appearances in that time.

A lot of talk has been centred on United's midfield this summer, following the exit of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte's knee injury that will keep him sidelined for most of the 2026-27 season.

The Red Devils have already signed Santos and Youri Tielemans, and they are expected to add another, with the likes of Bournemouth duo Alex Scott, Tyler Adams and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni being linked with a move.

But Mount is an option already available to Michael Carrick, and he has been used alongside Santos in both pre-season games against Wrexham and Rosenborg, respectively.

"I've known Andrey for a while," said Mount. "I've watched him from afar since he broke into the first team at Chelsea.

"He's a really good player and reads the game very well.

"He's a little bit more defensive, so it allows me to push on a little bit more and work off him.

"Defensively as well, we're both players that want to get around it, put tackles in, win the ball back and be aggressive.

"I've really enjoyed it. It's a position I've played for many years from a young age. It's a position that I love, and I see myself in."

Kind words for the youngsters coming through

Good on you, Mase

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 25, 2026

Mount was handed the captain's armband for a short spell against Rosenborg when Harry Maguire went off at half-time, until his own withdrawal later on.

Youngsters Shea Lacey, Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass and Ethan Williams were all on the scoresheet in Friday's match, and Mount is enjoying stepping into more of a senior role.

"You have different types of leaders," said Mount.

"You have ones that are very vocal, but I see myself as one who leads by example and never stops working.

"I've been captain previously, years ago, so I love the role.

"Especially with a lot of younger players on the pitch, and off it as well, being able to speak to them and make them feel comfortable, it's something I really like."