Man United’s Mason Greenwood – A star in the making
By Varun Aithal
Man United completed their third Premier League win in as many games. They’ve now collected 10 points from their four fixtures on return.
The Red Devils took down the Cherries by five goals to two when the pair met at Old Trafford on Saturday. Eddie Howe’s men tried their best to get something from the game but United’s attacking force was just too powerful for them.
Following their victory over the second-worst team in the league, they’ve now gone five games without a loss across all competitions since the restart of English football. They sit in fifth place and show a good goal difference because of Mason Greenwood and co.
The Manchester young-star has displayed world-class quality in front of goal and appears to be a lethal asset to the Old Trafford club.
In the past, Sir Matt Busby had said:
"If they are good enough, they are old enough"
The words have been true in the case of the 18-year-old teenage sensation, Mason Greenwood. The young Englishman has not only adapted himself to the Premier League but has also broken several records held by Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.
Adding to this, the player has secured several starts and kept out seniors like Daniel James, Andreas Periera, and Jesse Lingard, apart from filling the void left by Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.
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The Old Trafford journey of the youngster has been quite amazing. There have been multiple instances of youngsters who were exciting but couldn’t develop into a great talent as they were predicted to. It can be said in the case of Angel Gomes who struggled to make it into the first team, unlike Greenwood who has booked his place in the team, beating all odds.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the club got a glimpse of the better things to come when Mason converted a crucial penalty in a friendly with calm and ease. However, the fans and even the club didn’t expect the teenage sensation to become a vital cog for the Red Devils in the 2019/20 season.
One who is an ardent fan of youth football would definitely know the goalscoring caliber of Mason Greenwood. The player was in great form with 20 goals and assists (G/A) in the 2017/18 season and 34G/A in the 2018/19 season, in the youth setup. Greenwood was also part of the famous Paris comeback in Paris where OGS and the team successfully overturned the Champions League result.
Looking at his glaring potential, Ole Gunnar Solskajer handed him the game time and a promotion to the senior setup at the start of the season. With Anthony Martial getting injured in the first part of the season, the player started getting more first-team minutes. However, the Norweigan managed the amount of time he spent on the pitch to avoid injuries because of the demand of the English top flight.
The pandemic came at a good time for Manchester United. The lanky player bulked himself up alongside working on his defensive duties. The bulking-up of the player has resulted in continued starts in the Premier League upfront alongside Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
He has 21 G/A for Manchester United in 42 games across all competitions. Also, he broke Wayne Rooney’s record of six goals in the Premier League by a teenager with his double strike against Bournemouth. Mason Greenwood has eight goals to his name in seven Premier League starts.
Greenwood’s place under threat
Despite looking threatening on the right-hand side of the pitch, Manchester United are constantly linked with the BVB star, Jadon Sancho. Tipped for a big-money move, Jadon Sancho can add both pace and quality for Red Devils’ attack but also threatens young Greenwood’s place.
It remains interesting to see if OGS goes for Jadon Sancho in the pandemic-hit market or would carry on with Greenwood for one more season. Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have made their intentions clear. The young bird is wrapped in a ball of wool and is being nurtured.
They haven’t allowed the player to give an interview in the aftermath as part of their strategy to keep him safe from the hovering European elite vultures. All the club wants is for the young bird to stretch its wings to the full extent and carry the club to the next level.