It was half an hour that offered a glimpse as to why Ruben Amorim believes Mason Mount will be a “perfect” fit in time for his system and from which a player who has been down on his luck will take a lot of heart.

The lack of movement and speed to Manchester United’s play made for turgid viewing in a laboured first half against Viktoria Plzen, but Mount’s introduction for Joshua Zirkzee in the 61st minute, shortly after the arrival of the match-winner Rasmus Hojlund, helped herald an uplift.

United had wanted everything to feet before then, with a disinterested Marcus Rashford’s reluctance to run in behind making them even more one-dimensional in attack.

But when Mount came on alongside Amad Diallo, United suddenly had a No 10 who was willing to make positive, intelligent runs into the box and instantly there was a greater dynamism and variety to the attack.

He should have scored from one such run that was picked out by Diallo in the 77th minute, only for the goalkeeper to save his shot, but Amorim will have liked the intention. There had been a similarly purposeful run before that, from which United won a corner, and it was also clear that Hojlund was enjoying having a runner from midfield who was determined to get beyond him.

Amorim has wasted little time trying to get United’s No 9 closer to goal, where he can inflict more damage and team-mates can play off him, to stop the Dane becoming isolated and locked in the persistent wrestling matches with centre-halves that became a feature under Erik ten Hag.

Mount did just that with smart, under-lapping angled runs that offered Hojlund an outlet. He also kept the ball a lot better than the man he replaced, Zirkzee, who lost possession an eye-watering 16 times in the first 45 minutes. Between Hojlund, Mount, Diallo and Bruno Fernandes, Amorim at least had a quartet that could play under control at speed.

These are baby steps for United and much the same is true for Mount, whose fitness Amorim is taking no chances with.

Having spent most of his Old Trafford career to date in the treatment room, Amorim is nursing Mount back slowly, and with a determination to ensure there are no more injury setbacks for a player he had a earmarked for a key role before even stepping foot inside the club.

Much like Hojlund, who played in a 3-4-3 formation at Atalanta before his £72 million move to United last year, Mount has the benefit of having played in a system not too dissimilar to Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. Some of the patterns of play may already be familiar to Mount and that alone should offer him a head start.

Amorim has watched footage of how Mount thrived under Tuchel and the important role he played in helping Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, and hopes the pair of them can now enjoy their own success together. “I have to tell you, I love that kid,” Amorim said of Mount after joining United. “You can look in his eyes that he wants this so bad, and this is the most important thing for me.”

That hunger was certainly evident in the way he set about running through Plzen’s defence, but an encouraging cameo will count for little if the £60 million signing does not stay fit and become a starter who consistently delivers.

The games to come will certainly offer greater tests than a spirited if limited side from the Czech Republic. Manchester City are up next in the derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and thereafter United have Tottenham, Bournemouth, Wolves, Newcastle and Liverpool, plus Arsenal in the FA Cup, to play.

If Mount can come through those games with a spring in his step, Amorim will have more reason to believe he is on to something with the forgotten England midfielder.