Sports
Is Mount the answer to what Amorim’s trying to do at Man United?
Erik ten Hag is the man who pushed Man United to sign Mason Mount from Chelsea in July 2023. So convinced was the Dutchman of Mount’s importance to the way he wanted to play that he still hasn’t shaken the belief that the midfielder’s unavailability during their time together at Old Trafford was one of the reasons Ten Hag eventually got the sack.
Mount was able to start only seven Premier League games in almost 15 months for Ten Hag. The former United boss still thinks — nearly a year on — that things might have been different had he been fit more often.
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Though he has been back in the United XI in recent weeks, Mount’s injury problems haven’t disappeared entirely since Ruben Amorim’s arrival. It has left Amorim in a similar situation to Ten Hag in trying to use the England international as much as possible, while simultaneously trying to reduce the risk of further spells on the sidelines. Even after scoring against Sunderland — his first goal of the season and his first ever Premier League goal at Old Trafford — Mount was substituted in the 66th minute.
It didn’t matter that he was playing well. Rather, it had already been decided that he couldn’t play for much longer than an hour.
“He did really well,” said Amorim afterward. “He had a number of minutes because we have to manage when a guy like Mason is returning from injury.”
For Amorim, keeping Mount on the pitch for an extra half an hour wasn’t worth it with a game against Liverpool at Anfield to come after the international break. It’s a potentially tricky start to a four-game run that also includes fixtures against Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, a stretch that could go a long way to deciding whether Amorim is still in charge at Christmas.
Mount was one of the first United players Amorim met at the club’s Carrington training ground when he arrived in Manchester to take over from Ten Hag in November 2024. In the middle of another period of injury recovery, Mount was in the gym at the training ground while most of his teammates were either on holiday or international duty. It was the first glimpse of an attitude that Amorim has grown to love.
The Portuguese coach has tried to cleanse the dressing room of what he has viewed as negative influences. It resulted in the departures of both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Mount, meanwhile, has been held up as an example of what he wants in his squad. The England star has attended team meetings even when injured in order to give himself the best chance of quickly slotting back into the team.
The 26-year-old is often the last player to leave Carrington because of the long ice baths and saunas he takes after training in an effort to stay fit. Rather than jetting off during the international break, he chose to spend the downtime with his family and on the golf course.
Mount has also taken it upon himself to help other players understand Amorim’s system, having played in a similar tactical setup under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.
“I think I have the experience of playing a similar formation to what [Amorim] likes,” Mount said after his goal against Sunderland. “I have played it before in the past. So, knowing the roles and what he wants out of the team resonates with me because I’ve done it before.
“I think at the beginning, especially, it was something that maybe [Amorim] could lean on me [for] because I know the positions.”
As well as knowing the system, Mount offers Amorim something different. He was picked to start against Sunderland in place of £62.5 million summer signing Matheus Cunha.
It wasn’t a straightforward decision. Despite United’s problems so far this season, Cunha has been good, but he’s a forward rather than a midfielder. For Mount, it’s the other way around.
With both Cunha and fellow summer signing Bryan Mbeumo in the team, United have more of an attacking threat. Mount, though, knows how to press effectively, shut down space out of possession and help the two deeper midfielders — usually Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro — when United are being overrun. It’s a vital ingredient for a system that is up against a three-man midfield most weeks in the Premier League.
“I think Mason Mount can give us more of a midfielder than a winger or a striker,” said Amorim after beating Sunderland. “He can defend really well. He is really smart, he can attack really well. It is the characteristics we are going to change when we look at every opponent.”
The “characteristics” Amorim felt he needed in a pressurized moment against Sunderland will also be needed at Anfield this weekend.
“I see myself as bringing a lot of energy into the team and setting off the press at times, being a bit of a catalyst going forward,” Mount said when asked about Amorim’s assessment.
“That’s always something that I focus on, helping the people around me and really bringing the energy.”
Energy is one of the things Amorim has asked of his players, particularly at the beginning of games. Over the course of his 11-month reign, Amorim’s team has conceded the first goal in 22 of his 34 Premier League matches, often leaving United in a hole before they’ve really started playing.
Amorim has made the point before — privately to his squad and in news conferences — that United doesn’t deal well with setbacks. So the need to be on the front foot right away is even more important.
Mount will be asked to be a key part of that effort against Liverpool on Sunday, just like he was against Sunderland, when he capitalized on United’s first clear opportunity to score after just eight minutes. A big performance at Anfield would be another nod to Tuchel that Mount deserves an England recall in the months before the World Cup.
The pair had a long conversation after Mount impressed against Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season, and the prospect of a place on the plane to North America next summer is still there. Tuchel knows all about his qualities after making him a central part of the Chelsea team, which won the UEFA Champions League in 2021.
It will be little consolation for Ten Hag, who never saw the best of Mount, but he’s finally showing how important he can be for his United successor.
Sports
Arne Slot ‘understands’ Liverpool fans’ boos after Burnley draw
LIVERPOOL, England — Arne Slot said he “completely understands” the frustration of the Liverpool fans who booed the team following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Burnley in the Premier League.
Florian Wirtz gave the hosts the lead at Anfield before Marcus Edwards levelled the scoring in the second half.
The result means Liverpool have now failed to beat any of the league’s three newly promoted sides at Anfield this term, with just one win in their last four league games. While they remain fourth in the table, they are now just one point above fifth-placed Manchester United.
“Yeah, in my head it wasn’t booing but in my head it was frustration as well,” Slot said when asked about the reaction of the Anfield crowd.
“So if we are Liverpool and we play against Burnley, who we have to give credit to for defending, clearing balls off the line, all the things you want to see if you are the Burnley manager, trying everything to prevent us scoring.
“But if you, as Liverpool, are not disappointed by having a draw at home to Burnley, then something is completely wrong. I completely understand the frustration. I have the same frustrations, and the players definitely have the same frustrations, as the fans.”
Saturday’s result was the third time Liverpool have dropped points from winning positions in the Premier League this season. It came despite Slot’s side registering 32 shots at goal, including 11 on target, and an expected goals (xG) total of 2.95 — their highest in the league this season.
Liverpool also had 73% of possession against a Burnley side languishing in 19th position with just 14 points from 22 games.
Slot added: “It’s not for the first time, it is usually frustrating. They come in different fashions. Sometimes it is that we are scoring a goal in stoppage time and you expect to win the game and then you concede another goal in stoppage time.
“I think these games we have played quite a lot [nine in 19 from September to November] — where we are the team creating more than the team we face — but then we were losing those games.
“Then we have started to become a team that was a bit more careful in conceding chances, and that led to the fact that it made it also more difficult to create a lot.
“As a result of that, we have been in a lot of games where we haven’t lost, and I think today was a game where I liked seeing us have even more possession than we would usually have, generating a lot of chances, and usually that comes with, if you take more risk, it comes with the other team counterattacking you, but we controlled that really well.”
Information from ESPN Research was used in this report.
Sports
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti shuts down NFL coaching speculation: ‘I’ve always been more of a college football guy’
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Nine NFL teams entered the offseason looking to fill their head coaching vacancies, and while some believe Indiana coach Curt Cignetti would be a strong fit for several of those openings, he sees it differently.
Speaking to the media on Saturday ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami, Cignetti shut down speculation of having any interest in making a leap to the NFL.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti speaks during media day ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game between the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana. The game will be played Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami, Florida, on Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
“I made that decision a long time ago now,” Cignetti said, via CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello. “Chuck Amato, NC State, in 2000. I had a chance to go with the [Green Bay] Packers. Tommy Rossley, Mike Sherman, [Brett] Favre was in his heyday. I declined the opportunity. I almost took it. That’s when I made the final decision.”
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“I’ve always been more of a college football guy.”
Cignetti has had several coaching stints in college football but has never crossed into the NFL. His most notable – prior to his success at Indiana – was during his five seasons at James Madison, where he led the Dukes to three conference titles and an FCS national championship appearance. He left for Indiana with a 52-9 record.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti walks on the field before the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Cignetti’s remarks come amid speculation that Las Vegas could be a potential fit, as Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza will likely be taken by the Raiders with the first overall pick in April’s draft.
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With those rumors settled, Cignetti’s and Mendoza’s focus can return to Monday’s title game against Miami.
The Hoosiers have gone 26-2 over the last two seasons under Cignetti and only Miami stands between them and the program’s first national championship.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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The CFP national championship game will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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Sports
Sources: Inter Miami eyeing $15M move for Monterrey’s Berterame
Inter Miami CF has expressed interest in signing Rayados de Monterrey and Mexico national team forward Germán Berterame, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday, with both clubs confirming a deal was in the works.
The MLS team would be willing to pay the player’s release clause to complete the transfer, sources revealed. Mexican outlets reported Berterame’s release clause to be valued at $15 million.
A deal between Inter Miami and Rayados for Berterame has not been finalized yet, but both Monterrey sporting director Jose Antonio Noreiga and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas have confirmed ESPN’s story.
“I can tell you and confirm that there has been an approach [from Inter Miami] and a proposal that is interesting to Berterame,” Noreiga said.
“It interests Germán, and it could be interesting for us. If we decide that the offer is interesting and that Germán leaves, we will do everything possible and we are already working on it to replace him.”
Berterame started for Rayados on Friday night and scored a goal in his team’s 5-1 thrashing of Mazatlán FC.
“Well, first of all, Germán Berterame is a great player,” Inter Miami co-owner Mas said. “He’s a great player, and we’re aiming to have a great squad
“I know I confirmed this morning that there’s an offer from Inter Miami. There is an offer from Inter Miami for Germán Berterame, we’ll see how that develops in the next 24 to 36 hours. But once again, I say, we’re aiming to have an extraordinary squad, to give [Javier] Mascherano the tools to attack technically as he sees fit, a lineup that can be strong, and that’s the kind of quality player who deserves to be part of the Inter Miami squad.”
Mas also commented on Miami’s interest in Vancouver Whitecaps and United States defender Tristan Blackmon, confirming that Miami made a bid for the reigning MLS Defender of the Year but that “for now we consider that matter closed.”
ESPN reported that Blackmon failed to show up for a scheduled physical with the Whitecaps on Wednesday in the wake of Vancouver rejecting a cash transfer offer worth $3 million from Miami. However, the 29-year-old subsequently reported to the Whitecaps camp the following day.
Negotiations appear to be progressing smoother for Berterame.
Before Rayados, Berterame featured for Argentine sides San Lorenzo and Patronato before making his Liga MX debut with Atletico San Luis in 2019. While playing for Atletico San Luis, the forward scored 31 goals in 93 games in all competitions and earned the Golden Boot for the 2021 Apertura tournament.
Berterame then joined Rayados in 2022, where he has recorded 67 goals and 15 assists in 152 games across all competitions.
His efforts in Liga MX earned him recognition from the Mexican national team, after becoming eligible to feature for El Tricolor by completing the country’s naturalization process.
Though Berterame previously featured for the Argentina youth national team, his lack of appearances with the senior squad allowed for the forward to represent Mexico without needing to file a FIFA one time switch.
Other MLS teams previously expressed interest in Berterame. FC Cincinnati attempted to trigger the player’s previous release clause, but the two parties failed to come to an agreement to complete the transfer.
Information from ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.
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