Mason Mount celebrated his best moment wearing a Manchester United shirt on Thursday night as his brace guaranteed a spot in the Europa League final.

After Mikel Jauregizar’s incredible goal put United behind Athletic Club that evening, United found themselves playing with fire.

However, the game was altered by Ruben Amorim’s substitutions, and Mount and Amad Diallo stole the show on yet another unforgettable European evening at Old Trafford.

Since he came for £55 million in the summer of 2023, Mount has had a difficult time, with injuries halting much of his growth.

As the Stratford End yelled his name, Mount told TNT Sports, “It was too long [waiting for a night like that].”

I persisted, putting in a lot of effort in my training each day, trying to maintain my optimism, and trying to have an influence whenever I could.

It paid off today, and I entered the game and had an impact. I simply tried to calm it down because it was a tight game when I entered.

As one of eight substitutes in last weekend’s 4-3 loss at Brentford, Mount scored his first goal of the year. With his brace here, he now has three goals in two games.

He scored from almost halfway with the Athletic goalie far out of his goal, making his second even more remarkable than his first, which was a fantastic curling effort inside the box.

“If it comes to me, I had the thought, ‘first touch and shoot,’ when I saw him [the goalkeeper] come out,” Mount said.

The same goes for the first goal: make the turn and attempt to get it in the net. I didn’t want it to come on my left foot, so I was simply trying to get it on target.

The audience has been incredible and has remained with us. I’ve been looking forward to this night for a long time, and these were my first goals at Old Trafford.

“We want to finish strongly because returning to Bilbao is a special moment.”