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A couple of days after half a dozen new midfielders were linked with Manchester United, it was an old one who laid down a marker ahead of the new season.

Mason Mount is three years into his Old Trafford career after a £60million move from Chelsea, but he is already old hat at United. A combination of injuries and a struggle to nail down a regular role has left him on the fringes.

The 27-year-old has started just 25 Premier League games this season and United have rebuffed enquiries for him this summer, with his place in Michael Carrick's plans not exactly clear.

United have already spent £85million on midfielders this summer, with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans coming in, and they remain in the market for a third new option in that area of the pitch. Aurelien Tchouameni remains the dream signing.

But United aren't totally committed to the idea of bringing in a third midfielder and if Tchouameni proves out of reach, there are worse ideas than directing those funds elsewhere and handing Mount a lifeline to really resurrect his career in Manchester.

Mount twice started in place of Casemiro towards the end of last season, at Sunderland and Brighton, but he is nobody's idea of a clone for the Brazilian. In Carrick's new-look United, that doesn't matter.

Carrick's plan for his second season in charge is based on control. United are targeting midfielders with high-level technical ability this summer, rather than an old-school defensive midfield destroyer.

Few English midfielders have the technical quality of Mount and after a slow start to pre-season, he showed in Trondheim that a deeper role in a 4-2-3-1 is far from beyond him. It might even be his best position now.

What Mount can do on the ball has never been in doubt, but playing an hour in a 5-0 rout of Rosenborg, he delivered a couple of excellent defensive contributions. Early in the contest, he was stationed in front of his box and stepped out to intercept a pass across the box, quickly getting his side on the break. Then later in the half, he positioned himself well inside his own area to cut out a low cross as the hosts tried to find a way back in the match.

For the second game in a row, Mount partnered £50million new boy Andrey Santos in midfield and just after the midway point of the half they combined superbly to create space inside their own half. Santos showed his short passing range to tee up Patrick Dorgu for a shot that hit the base of the post, but it only came about after Mount had taken a free-kick on the right quickly, pinging a stunning crossfield ball to Dorgu's feet and opening the game up.

Mount's pressing was particularly impressive for this stage of pre-season, but he is a leader as well. He has a lot of experience given he's a Champions League winner and England international and, after Shea Lacey had opened the scoring, it was noticeable that it was Mount who walked back to halfway with the teenager, pointing out a couple of tactical details to the youngster.

Mount has been a big supporter of the academy, regularly welcoming players into the first-team set-up when they are promoted and taking them under his wing. He has become a key figure in the dressing room.

Now the challenge is to become a key figure on the pitch as well. If United don't sign a third midfielder this summer, then Mount could more than fill that gap.