Manchester United favourite Dimitar Berbatov has backed Mason Greenwood to step up for the Red Devils against Liverpool in the potential injury absence of leading goalscorer Marcus Rashford.
Rashford is a major doubt for the Premier League clash at Anfield following the knock picked up against Wolves in the FA Cup third round replay, and he has apparently not been included in the provisional squad to face the Reds.
In this case, it appears more likely that the England international won’t make the Merseyside trip and that is certainly a blow, considering he has been the standout performer for the past few months and has netted 19 goals this season.
In an interview with Betfair, Berbatov has highlighted Greenwood as a possible player to watch out for at Anfield and believes the United graduate has a good chance to make an impact in one of the club’s most important games of the campaign.
“I’m sure Mason Greenwood will be looking at this situation and thoughts will be crossing his mind. I have no doubt that his time is coming. I think he should be confident and calm enough to step up and not feel too much pressure if Rashford isn’t available,” he told.
The 18-year-old has featured in different attacking positions over the past few months but he has predominantly played on the right side of the attack. Juan Mata has found success from the role over the past few games and it remains to be seen how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lines up his team at Anfield.
Both Mata and Greenwood played together against Wolves in midweek where the latter occupied the number 10 role, but Solskjaer could go with a defensive approach against Jurgen Klopp’s side with Andreas Pereira replacing the teenager to play in the central midfield. In this case, Daniel James may take up Marcus Rashford’s regular position on the left wing.
Regardless of this, Greenwood should definitely get playing time against the runaway Premier League leaders on Sunday and the youngster has a big opportunity to help United register their first win at Anfield since January 2016. He has impressed in his breakthrough season with nine goals in all competitions to date.
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