Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has heaped praises on young academy graduate Mason Greenwood who continued his dream season with a brace in his team’s 5-2 thrashing of Bournemouth in Premier League on Saturday at the empty Old Trafford.
However, the manager admitted that it was too soon to compare the 18-year-old to the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom had started during the twilight years of Solskjaer’s playing career at United.
“I have seen Wayne Rooney at the same age and Mason is a specialist finisher and specialist goal-scorer… He knows exactly what to do with the ball when he’s on the pitch,” Solskjaer told reporters after the match on Saturday as quoted by IANS.
“If he shoots, he’ll score. He’s going to get better and his general play has improved. I don’t want to compare him to Rooney or Ronaldo, as that’s not fair, and he’ll create his own career. He’s doing it his own way.”
“Both of those have had fantastic careers, and I’m sure if Mason keeps on doing the right things and making good decisions, he will have a fantastic career. It’s Mason’s first season, but we’ve always known there’s a special kid there,” Solskjaer explained.
Greenwood, who was brought into the squad this season as the second striker in place of injured Marcus Rashford after brief and unproductive appearances in three Premier League matches in the 2018-19 season, has already made claim for a regular spot in the senior team with his impeccable goal-scoring ability.
He has already scored 15 goals and provided 5 assists this season across competitions and is being projected as the next big thing at United.
Meanwhile, he was joined by Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes in the scoresheet as the Red Devils continued to breathe down Chelsea and Leicester City’s neck in the top-four race.
Manchester United are fifth with 55 points, while Chelsea at fourth have 57 points and Leicester at third have 58 points. All the three teams have played 33 matches so far.