Mason Greenwood is from the England U21 squad but can he be a regular at the Manchester United first-team too? That’s the perspective of both former and team-mates coaches who speak of a gift who is capable of making it on the top, writes Adam Bate.
Marcus Rashford calls him terrifying. Luke Shaw calls him unbelievable. Players praise his maturity and his attitude. Supporters liken him to Robin van Persie. There is a space that is opened up to emerge as the flops leave Manchester United and teenager Mason Greenwood fits the profile perfectly.
The 231st academy graduate to signify United is somewhat special. You will find glimpses of that in his brief cameo at Southampton. Greenwood could have won a penalty had the referee spotted the kick he obtained from Stuart Armstrong on and forced a great save from Angus Gunn.
A spot that is starting is not likely to be far away to get a participant who scored more than a goal a match for the U18 and U23 sides of United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already trusted Greenwood off the seat that memorable March night at Paris and given him his own complete Premier League introduction on the final day of last season when he explained as the team’s”best player by a mile”.
However, it had been in fact that Solskjaer convinced that he was prepared. A target against Leeds consistently helps but there has been greater than that. There was the time he flipped out that the Perth Glory defence inside and twisted. Even though his drag-back because game made a fool out of the Milan Skriniar that is expert there was his goal from Inter.
There is a certain irony that the Italian team which has taken on Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez was impressed contrary to by Greenwood. They’re United’s past today. Still 17, Greenwood is the long run. Maybe even the current. That Solskjaer sees it. “Mason’s pathway would have been much harder if we had another ahead here,” he explained recently.
It seems certain that Greenwood may get his opportunity. The question is just how good he will become when he receives it. What sets him apart from the rest and where exactly will he fit into this United team? Neil Dewsnip has been the trainer of Greenwood with the England U18 team this past year and he sees him as a person with the mentality and ability to be successful.
“He is highly encouraged to be the very best he could possibly be which is always a large advantage in a young participant,” Dewsnip tells Sky Sports.
“From the England U18 group he played with as an out-and-out centre-forward right down the middle and did quite well in that job but we also used him in broad areas as well, particularly on the ideal side of the area where he can cut on his left foot and belt it quite nicely.
“He’s definitely got an eye for goal, therefore I would agree with his supervisor he can score various goals. He may put in behind defences and is quite fast, direct. He’s also clever enough to combine with his team-mates. So he has an intriguing package growing.”
When there’s no club like United However, will he be in a position to put that package together? Will a player who needed to return to college the day after playing his part because Champions League triumph over Paris Saint-Germain cope with the pressure of having to deliver at arguably the greatest club in the entire world? Can he really be able to handle all that?
“I think he could,” adds Dewsnip. “Front players tend to bring that with them. They like to score targets. They are excited through that. I really don’t think Old Trafford will fazes him. I think it will be relished by him. The crowd has started to develop an awareness regarding him. It remains to be seen if he can deliver but I do not think he will be it.”
Talking to one of his senior colleagues, it seems Greenwood does not have any reason. Inside the academy building in United’s Carrington training ground, where the walls are adorned by pictures of other graduates, Luke Shaw smiles when the name of Greenwood is mentioned. He has been confronted by the left-back . He understands what’s anticipating Premier League defences.
“He’s a really amazing player, an unbelievable talent and it is mad to think that he is only 17,” Shaw tells Sky Sports. “There’s so much more to come from him but there’s so much he’s doing at this time. He’s currently impressing with and each time he trains with us he would like to learn. Ole has enormous religion in him and so do the rest of us.”
Both Lingard and Rashford have predicted Greenwood laid back and there’s a calmness to his game. Both as a pure finisher see him – the most remarkable thing he can do it with both feet, even taking fines with his right foot that was supposedly weaker. He played at a deeper character in his younger days but had been moved forward because of his finishing ability.
More than just a poacher, he is a dribbler also with good pace – that his sister is about a sports scholarship at Manchester Metropolitan University. Greenwood has comparable gifts, blessed with strength in addition to speed and ability. As a teenager, he has the upper body strength to hold his mark off and switch the drama by simply hitting sweeping moves.
Manchester United like to keep a lid on these items restricting his press activities. However, the key is out. It is known by the United supporters along with his United team-mates understand it . “We know what he will be bringing for the group quite soon,” adds Shaw. “He just has to keep his head down and work hard and also his ability will flourish.
“He can be one of the best on the planet.”
It’s high praise and some sympathy for United as their rivals are still outperform them. The impulse over the previous six seasons has been to devote their way back but is a recognition that, even for a part of their resources, this is impossible. There has to be a program. They need to build. And it will take time.
They need to rely on an academy graduate or 2, as they have. Scott McTominay proceeds to grow, embodying the spirit of hard work which every supporter would like to see from their players. But Greenwood has the power to offer and more to that. He is a participant with that piece of fantasy to his or her game. A player who can make United believe.
“This team has got energy, it’s got childhood,” explained Gary Neville to some recent appearance on Monday Night Football. “I enjoy it. It’s not slow, it is not methodical, it’s not dull. If it grows, with a few additions, they have a good likelihood of doing something. It’s not likely to happen overnight but I’m happier with what United are”
If Greenwood gets a run in the team, the Manchester United fans will probably be more happy. They may not have to wait long.
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