Mason Greenwood: ‘Ruthless’ forward likened to Manchester United greats Rooney and Van Persie and will be ‘better than Rashford’
“I think we have found one.” Yep, it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson has got it right once again.
The legendary Manchester United boss is reported to have talked up the prowess of academy star Mason Greenwood at a League Managers’ Association lunch, backing him to reach the very top.
This kid can do no wrong at the moment
He’s still a long way off getting to the heights the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes reached but his fantastic display against Bournemouth and Brighton shows he has all the tools needed.
Greenwood is in fantastic form, scoring three goals in two matches as he bagged another brace in Manchester United’s thrashing of Bournemouth.
The Cherries took a surprise lead but Greenwood got United level with a fierce left-footed shot through Aaron Ramsdale.
United boss Solskjaer says Greenwoof can become the ‘complete striker’
After the break he got his second, this time with his right foot as he shifted the ball away from the Bournemouth defender before rifling an unstoppable effort past a helpless Ramsdale as United won 5-2.
This came days after his scintillating display against Brighton as he scored a mesmerising goal and provided an inch-perfect assist to give United an easy win at the Amex.
Fergie wasn’t the first person to see that Greenwood would become something special, former Manchester United coach Mark Senior revealed the story of how he was blown away by a then six-year-old Greenwood when he was playing for Bradford-based side Idle Juniors.
Senior said: “Scouts saw him when he wasn’t even playing; they were watching another player that day.
“Mason just wanted to join a local team in Bradford called Idle Juniors, but he wasn’t old enough, so he was kicking a ball around on the side of the pitch, waiting for his sixth birthday.
“As soon as he was six, we made sure we had someone to watch his first game.
Greenwood scored in United’s narrow win over Rochdale in the Carabao Cup earlier this season
“The team he was playing for had never won a game, and I am not sure they had even scored a goal. Then, Mason scored 16 on his debut and they won 16-1. A six-year-old made the local newspaper!”
Needless to say Greenwood was invited to United’s development centre in Halifax but he already made an impact before walking through its doors.
Senior added: “He came to our development centre the night his goals from the weekend had made the local newspaper.
“I got there a little bit early and Mason was already there in the car park smashing balls against the wall, with both feet. It was incredible.
There are high hopes for Greenwood at Old Trafford
“I asked him, ‘So, are you this Mason who scored 16 goals at the weekend? Was it a bit easy for you?’ He looked at me and said, ‘If it weren’t for me, we would have lost 1-0.’
“He went straight into the development centre in Huddersfield, into the age group above his own. Every single club quickly got wind of Mason, so then they were all after him.”
Greenwood progressed nicely through the academy over the years and made his competitive debut for the first team in March 2019, coming on in the final few minutes of their memorable Champions League triumph over Paris Saint-Germain. He then became United’s youngest ever Premier League starter in their final match of 2018/19, aged 17 years and 223 days old.
Only Norman Whiteside has played for Man United in European competitions at a younger age than Greenwood did
This season has undoubtedly been Greenwood’s breakthrough, the forward scoring 13 goals and providing five assists in all competitions. His strike at Brighton saw him equal a record last set by Wayne Rooney of scoring six Premier League goals while being aged 18 or under.
Even when he hasn’t been playing, Greenwood has been productive, cutting a muscly figure after the restart having undergone a stunning body transformation during the season’s stoppage.
He’s earned plenty of plaudits in his short career and talkSPORT.com has gathered some standout quotes about United’s rising star.
Gary Neville
After Greenwood’s goal against Brighton the Red Devils legend cooed: “It’s getting to the point now where it will be impossible to leave this lad out.
“He reminds me so much of Robin van Persie when he cuts in on that left foot off that right side. The composure, the technique.”
The Brighton defence has no answers for his superb skills and shot
Robin van Persie
He said of Greenwood in December: “I think he will be very good because during every game he tries to copy me.”
“My style, my technique, my left foot, my way of finishing… so, I’m sure he will end up well.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
After the win over Bournemouth, the Man United boss said: “Great talent, great finisher and he’s learning more and more. Growing more and more and getting better with his decisions on and off the pitch.
“He’s an exceptional finisher. He can score right foot or left foot and as I said before if he can just learn how to head a ball he will be a complete striker.”
When asked if he could become a key player for England in the future, Solskajer said: “If he keeps on developing. We will do our best to develop him.
“I’m just worried about him playing for Man United and not England. There might be some Norwegian blood in there you never know!”
Solskjaer is the perfect coach for Greenwood, having been a Man United striker himself
Marcus Rashford
After Greenwood scored against Leeds in a pre-season friendly last summer; “He’s a clever kid so he’ll learn it as he goes, but, yeah, his natural abilities are frightening.
“The manager is obviously doing a good job in sort of guiding him in the right direction and the more you do that, his talent will just come through.”
Rashford knows exactly what its like to be the young starlet at Old Trafford, having burst onto the scene in 2016, aged 18
Paul Scholes
In November, Scholes said: “He calms himself down, he takes a touch. Marcus [Rashford] is capable of brilliant things and probably a scorer of great goals rather than a great goalscorer.
“I think he lacks that little bit of composure. I think Mason will eventually be a better goalscorer than Marcus.
“But they both bring real quality to the team in forward areas which we’ve been lacking.”
Michael Owen
‘I still think that Manchester United could do with – I know it’s impossible but if they could find that next Wayne Rooney, that next 19, 20, 21-year-old who was going to be there for the next 10 years.
“They’ve almost been getting by with Ibrahimovic, getting by with Ighalo.
“These players are very good but coming to the end of their career but they probably need to find that one like a Rooney, right at the start of his career that’s going to carry them forward.
“Can it be Mason Greenwood? It might be that they use these types of players while he grows with them.
Phil Neville
“You know the difference between Greenwood compared to Martial and Rashford is that Greenwood is a natural, ruthless finisher.
“You see the stepovers there, he shoots between his [the defender’s] legs like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to do.
“I think this kid’s got a massive future. I think he has everything.
“He plays a little Robin van Persie like in terms of his style. His legs are similar, the way he graces the field. His composure and finishing is as good as anything at that club.”
If Greenwood becomes better than Martial and Rashford then Man United will have a very exciting front line to come for many years
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