Manchester United boss fancies emerging star to benefit after Romelu Lukaku’s exit

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed young graduate Mason Greenwood to get a regular run of games with the first-team following the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan. Greenwood, 17, had a good pre-season where he was one of the standout performers and the recent exit of Lukaku has paved the way for him to compete for a regular starting role, should he make the most of the opportunities offered by the head coach. Speaking exclusively to MUTV, Solskjaer acknowledged that he is content with the current options in the attack and believes Greenwood could benefit from the fact that a new forward was not pursued after the sale of Lukaku.

“Mason Greenwood’s pathway would have been a lot more difficult, of course, if we had another forward there. So, for me, I believe that Mason’s going to be playing and involved a lot, and, when he is, he’ll score goals.” he said.

Greenwood contributed a couple of goals during pre-season against Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, but he could not replicate the feat in the three friendly games which followed. Nonetheless, he was impressive with his workrate and showed the quality of a seasoned professional with his eagerness to take on defenders with confidence from the right side of the attack. United are scheduled to face Chelsea at Old Trafford in Sunday’s league opener and it remains to be seen whether Greenwood gets the nod on the right wing where he is certain to face competition. Daniel James will be knocking the door for a debut from the starting lineup after a similarly good pre-season while Solskjaer may turn to experience in the form of Juan Mata.