Mason Mount has admitted that the arrival of three new midfielders at Manchester United has intensified competition for places, describing the increased standard as a "must-have."
The former Chelsea midfielder, who joined Old Trafford for an initial £55million three summers ago, has seen Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba arrive in a midfield spending spree costing £155m.
Competition for places
Adding quality in the middle of the pitch was seen as a priority for Michael Carrick, with Tielemans and Santos already settling in. Baleba arrived from Brighton carrying an injury and is yet to make his debut.
Mount is still waiting for his first appearance of the season and was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw at Everton. He could feature in Thursday's Champions League clash with Sabah, though his place in the pecking order and his role remain undecided.
Mount's verdict on new signings
The 27-year-old is pleased to see the club making additions, insisting they were necessary if the squad and players wanted to improve.
In the pre-match programme, he said: "Yeah, I think the additions within the squad really improve the squad, too. The competition for places is high, and I think that's a must-have, because it ups the level, ups everyone's level within the team. Game by game, you're competing during the week and training to get into the team and start the game, so everyone's got to be ready."
"That definitely improves the standard. You can see it already, the standard in training has gone up, so that will only improve the squad as a whole."
Struggles at Old Trafford
His comments come after an underwhelming three years at Old Trafford, hampered by injuries, a loss of form and difficulty establishing a fixed position. He has made just 25 Premier League starts in three seasons, having regularly started more in a single campaign at Chelsea.
He has scored seven times for the club and has fallen out of the England picture, where he was once a regular. At his peak, Mount was effective centrally and out wide, but at United the competition and recent recruitment drive have limited his opportunities.
Bruno Fernandes remains the team's playmaker, while Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have been signed to provide a threat from wide areas, though both can also play through the middle. Dropping deeper would put Mount in competition with United's three summer signings and Kobbie Mainoo.
