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Ralf Rangnick heaps praise on Mason Greenwood after Man Utd’s draw vs Young Boys

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick was delighted with Mason Greenwood’s performance during the 1-1 Champions League draw against Young Boys last night.

The 63-year-old changed his entire starting XI from the recent 1-0 league win over Crystal Palace.

Greenwood was tasked with leading the line, and he scored within nine minutes.

Luke Shaw delivered a delightful cross from the left flank for the 20-year-old, which was turned into the back of the net with an acrobatic volley.

He created a superb scoring chance for Juan Mata after 34 minutes, but the Spaniard could not capitalise. He was denied by a double block.

Speaking after the game, Rangnick showered praise on the United graduate for not only scoring a ‘beautiful goal’ but also setting up the ‘brilliant’ opportunity for Mata.

The German tactician added that the youngster is a massive talent, but the onus remains on finding continuity.

He is prepared to help him develop to become a regular player.

He told Manutd.com: “He also showed, not only with the beautiful goal, but also the way that he set up the opportunity for Juan Mata. That was brilliant.”

“He is a massive talent. Right foot, left foot, good on the ball, also the way he set up the goal for Fred on Sunday. But still, it is about continuity.

“He has to develop physically, but technically for his age he is a great player, and my job is to develop him and make an athlete out of him.

“If he manages to do that, he can become a regular player for this club.”

Our view:

Greenwood made an excellent start to the current season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scoring in his first three Premier League games.

His subsequent performances have been inconsistent, although he scored a stunning goal from the edge of the box against Leicester City.

A brief absence with coronavirus has dropped him down the pecking order in recent weeks, but he will be aiming to reclaim a starting role.

The £45 million-rated star left a strong impression on Rangnick in his first start for the club since the Manchester derby in early November.

With Rangnick likely to prefer the 4-2-2-2 set-up, Greenwood has a good chance of leading the line, but it may not be that easy for him.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes are ahead of him in the pecking order for the attacking roles.

He may need to impress off the bench in the coming games before establishing himself as a regular starter under the interim boss.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com.

Read: Can Manchester United break into Premier League top-four by January 1, 2022?