Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has warned Premier League rivals that Mason Greenwood will develop into a ‘very scary player’. The 18-year-old arrived on the scene earlier this season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave him the opportunity to show his worth at the Old Trafford club. The player had already scored 12 goals for United at the time the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and returned to training with a lot more muscle, which has led to his developing a bit more.
In total during the 2019/20 season, Greenwood made a total of 49 appearances for United’s first team, scoring 17 goals and five assists – playing two more matches at U23 level, scoring two goals. The academy graduate quickly established himself in the clubs first team and fought for his place in the team, which was a battle he won towards the end of the season, despite fatigue setting in due to so many matches being played in a short space of time.
Saha has stated that Greenwood had ‘frightening potential’ which will be something the teenager will be proud of as he relaxes after United’s season ended on Sunday, albeit with a defeat to Sevilla in the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League. United are set to find out how their 2020/21 Premier League season will pan out on Thursday as the provisional fixture are released with the first team getting ready to take holidays of relax ahead of the new season that is set to start next month.
Greenwood is obviously at the start of his career, which could be a bright now at the Old Trafford club. He has bags of potential and is a player that wants to fight for the spoils and win trophies with the club, which is what all of the other players will want too. This season, despite ending in disappointment, has led to many positives ahead of a new era at the club, led by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Saha, speaking to the Football Index podcast and reported by The Mirror, said:
“Mason Greenwood has frightening potential. He is already a very good player and his finishing is incredible. If he continues to improve, wow.
“The biggest improvement of his game has been on the physical side. Greenwood is only going to become tougher and fitter as he gets older, it’s incredible to think what he is capable of as just a teenager.
“I can only see Greenwood’s finishing continuing to get better and he is going to be a very scary player in the Premier League.
“He’s very self-confident and doesn’t hesitate about shooting again if he has missed a chance, he has all the attributes to be a big success story for Manchester United.
“The only question mark is about consistency and whether he will be able to perform at a similar level next season, but I’m very confident that he will.”
Greenwood has played 53 times for United now, with four appearances added at the end of the 2018/19 season at the club, scoring 17 goals and five assists, which is a good rate for the rookie, especially in his first full season at the club. If Greenwood can aim for 20 goals during the 2020/21 season, aiming to score at least five in the UEFA Champions League, which will be the first time he has played in the competition, his progress will keep heading in the right direction. Solskjaer would obviously like to see all of his forwards score goals in the double figures, which will contribute greatly to get United back on the trail to success.
Written by John Walker
