This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
After making a stunning impression during the club’s pre-season tour in the summer, Mason Greenwood may have expected to enjoy a real break-through campaign in the Manchester United first-team.
The forward scored against Leeds and Inter, and both goals were well-taken finishes. The kind the Red Devils have arguably lost with the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez. When the duo made their Old Trafford exits, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side failed to replace them, surely the expectation was that Greenwood would be the man to profit? The United boss even publicly remarked the 18-year-old could potentially start against Chelsea on the opening day.
“Mason has a chance to start against Chelsea, definitely. He is more than capable. It is a good possibility if he keeps going as he does. It is difficult to keep players out who perform well.”
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And then, to boost his chances of regular first-team football even more, Anthony Martial suffered an injury in late August and was missing from action for the best part of two months. This was Greenwood’s time surely? The only real competition he had, was a misfiring Marcus Rashford – a man who after scoring twice against Chelsea in the opening Premier League game, found the back of the net just once in his next seven matches.
Instead, Greenwood has been conspicuously absent from the Old Trafford pitch, and it has had nothing to do with his performances either. The 18-year-old scored in both of his full starts this season against FC Astana and Rochdale respectively, but that apparently hasn’t been enough to convince Solskjaer that he is deserving of further opportunities.
This, by the way, is a team that prior to the 3-1 victory over Norwich last Sunday had scored just ten goals in their first nine league games.
The United boss’ treatment of Greenwood is at best, perplexing, and at worst, insulting. The Norwegian made a huge song and dance at the end of last season that the club’s abundance of young talents would be given a proper chance to shine this campaign. Instead, the most high-profile prospect the club has got has been shockingly under-used and under-appreciated.
“It’s not about them but the right thing for the team. If you’ve got it at 16 or 17, you will have it when you get into the first team.”
A snapshot of just how bad things have gotten? Instead of making the travelling senior squad to face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, Greenwood was playing and scoring the winner in the EFL Trophy for United’s U21s against Doncaster the previous evening. That just says it all really.