MASON MOUNT is desperate to help Manchester United salvage their season with Europa League glory as the midfielder seeks to put a “tough couple of years” behind him.

The 26-year-old was a key target of Erik ten Hag but only managed 25 appearances for the Dutchman, having been disrupted by injuries following his switch from Chelsea in July 2023.

Mount was able to feature in successor Ruben Amorim’s first seven matches in charge, only to be left devastated by a hamstring issue suffered in December’s derby win at Manchester City.

The England international returned in April and, having seen minutes managed in recent weeks, is pushing to start tomorrow’s final against Tottenham as he seeks to build on his stunning semi-final brace against Athletic Bilbao.

“I think the football side of it and the injuries is something that obviously I didn’t see coming,” Mount said. “That’s not been easy, but I’ve stayed very focused throughout that whole time.

“Always had the end goal in my mind that it would come good, something will happen and I’ll get a moment where I’ll score a few goals or something will happen.

“I always believed in that, and I want to do more. It’s not just it’s happened and I’m satisfied – I’m not satisfied yet. I want more and more, win trophies, but it’s not been easy.

“It’s been a tough couple of years but I’ve stayed very focused, so I knew moments like this were going to come and that was always on my mind.”

Mount says the “special night” against Athletic felt all the sweeter after his spells on the sidelines, with United’s number seven saying he is “getting better and better” as fitness and confidence builds.

The midfielder got another 70 minutes in the tank during Friday’s 1-0 loss at his former club Chelsea, which continued a miserable domestic season that is United’s worst top-flight campaign since relegation in 1973-74.

United are 16th with just one Premier League match to play, but victory against 17th-placed Spurs can go some way to saving their season given Europa League glory and Champions League qualification is the reward.

“As a group, we always try to block out the noise,” Mount said. “As a group, we know the situation we’re in.

“We know the league is not good enough and we haven’t been good enough in that, but the Europa League is something that we look forward to as a final and we want to win that final.

“It’s a trophy and it’s Champions League football for next season, so we’ll do everything in our powers to win that game.”