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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer “has no doubts” that Mason Greenwood will soon be back at his best after explaining why time out of the limelight has been the best for the teenager.
Long touted as a future Old Trafford star, Greenwood he scored 17 goals in all competitions during an impressive season.
No teenager has scored more in a United campaign. He equaled the account managed by the greats George Best, Brian Kidd and Wayne Rooney. His performances also saw the forward Accelerated in England setup.
However, a troubled couple of months have followed.
The 19-year-old was sent home, along with Phil Foden, shortly after the September senior debut in Iceland. That was for breaking the biological bubble. Greenwood hasn’t quite reached last season’s levels either, scoring twice in eight appearances.
More questions about the player have been raised in the media, including his lifestyle and lack of sleep.
However, the player lost his close friend in a terrible tragedy and that has clearly played its part.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back,” Solskjaer said. “The boy is only 19 years old and has had a fantastic year.
“If we go a year back, I left him out of the Carabao Cup against Chelsea. Mason stayed behind and played Doncaster in the Checkatrade (Trophy) to gain playing time and that’s how far he’s come.
“Now he has 19 goals for the first team, he made his debut for England, he scored in his first U21 game. It has had a fantastic development.
“Of course the headlines will be on him when he scores, (or) if he doesn’t play.
“Everyone is allowed to not be well and if you are not well, you cannot train.
“Now he’s stayed away, he’s been eight or nine days away from training. We are starting to build it again.
“I have no doubts about him. He has a great head and his talent is there for all to see. “
However, Saturday night’s return to Premier League action against West Brom may come too soon for Greenwood.
Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones were the only players who couldn’t practice on Friday. The good news is that Marcus Rashford is back for the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury at Everton before the international break.
Victor Lindelof’s ongoing back complaint needs to be evaluated. The game could see the signing of the deadline day. Alex Telles finally debuts in the league after a coronavirus outbreak.
There was confusion about the availability of the left back. That’s after the Brazilian Soccer Confederation reported another positive test during an international break.
Solskjaer on Pogba Row
One man whose pick, or lack of, always makes headlines, is Paul Pogba.
The 27-year-old’s future always seems to be under new scrutiny during his stints with the France team.
Now comments from your national team manager this time they have fueled speculation.
Didier Deschamps said Pogba cannot be happy with his playing time and his position at United.
Solskjaer, however, has put those talks aside.
“Paul had a difficult season last season,” he said. “You have had Covid now (early in the season).
“I think those three games he played for France helped both us and Paul, and they helped France. You get a rhythm, you get in shape.
“I have spoken with Paul. It certainly felt towards the end of the Portugal game and definitely at the end of the Sweden game it felt stronger for it.
“He played well, he qualified. I think it’s only going to get better. Paul is, as I said, a very important player and a very important person for us.
“Having him fit and happy will be vital to the race that hopefully we can put together now.”
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Deschamps useless comments
When Solskjaer was told that Deschamps’ comments on Pogba are useless, the United manager tried to deflect the question.
“We always get questions and, managers, we try to answer the best we can.
“I think the press sometimes gets more out of it and maybe people at home who don’t have the whole interview get more out of it too.
“We all have enough experience to try to avoid big headlines.
“I spoke to Paul today about it. Of course he is not happy when he is not playing and he is not playing really well. He is not happy with his performances.
“He plays in the same position for France as for us, so that’s not a different scenario.”
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