The season is almost over and Mason Mount has made just four Premier League starts.

Manchester United paid an initial £55million to sign Mount when he was heading into the final year of his Chelsea contract, so he could have been signed for free this summer. He has played 673 minutes across all competitions, meaning he's cost £81,000 for each minute spent on the pitch, excluding his wages.

He hasn't been a value-for-money signing but there is still time for him to turn it around at Old Trafford. The midfielder last started in the Premier League against Luton Town on November 11 and deserves the chance to feature from the first whistle against Crystal Palace on Monday.

Mount has been unfortunate with injuries in his first season in Manchester and spent four months on the sidelines with a calf injury. He returned from that problem in the 4-3 win over Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and scored in his next appearance in the 1-1 draw against Brentford.

Mount's finish against Brentford wasn't straightforward, he did brilliantly to find the bottom right corner, and he celebrated as if his goal was the matchwinner only for the hosts to equalise in the dying seconds of added time.

United didn't deserve to win against Brentford but their equaliser was particularly cruel for Mount. He seemed like a certainty to speak with journalists in the mixed zone, to discuss his extended lay-off and how it felt to score his first United goal, but Brentford's goal changed the mood and Mount understandably didn't want to talk when leaving the Gtech Community Stadium.

In the next game, Mount seemed a certainty to be given his first start since November against his former club Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but he was on the bench. That felt like a pivotal moment in Mount's underwhelming season. He'd made a case to start against Chelsea thanks to bright substitute appearances against Liverpool and Brentford but still hasn't made a starting line-up a month later.

Unfortunately, it's been impossible for Mount to build momentum and he was absent for recent games against Coventry City and Sheffield United due to another injury. He made a small cameo against Burnley and there are just five games remaining this season, including the FA Cup final, so time is running out for him to make an impact.

If Mount is going to be anything but a periphery squad member in the next few weeks, he must start against Palace and there is reason to believe that's possible. Although Casemiro has played as a centre-back in the last weeks, Jonny Evans has returned to training and could start alongside Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence on Monday.

That would be logical and it would leave Erik ten Hag a decision between Casemiro, Mount, Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay. Bruno Fernandes is officially a doubt for the game but he's never missed a club game through injury in his career and Kobbie Mainoo is a guaranteed starter in midfield.

That means the third midfield position is up for grabs. Casemiro has been poor all season, Eriksen's performances in the last few games have been indifferent and McTominay has a knock, so perhaps signs point toward Mount receiving his first league start in seven months.