Mason Greenwood still has plenty of time to fulfil potential

This generation of England youngsters is already more exciting than almost any seen before. Structured coaching, deep planning and an approach which seeps through every level of the Football Association have helped to develop a conveyor belt of talent, which is finding its feet at the highest level for both club and country. Sooner or later, the challenge will be suppressing the weight of expectation and channeling in a way that helps rather than hinders.

Conversation, particularly in the press and through pundits, is always going to hype things up. It is natural to focus on the positives but this is an era where the players fully deserve their praise and most of the predictions of what could happen are completely justified. Collectively and individually, these players have been lauded.

Phil Foden has become one of the faces of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, thanks to the manager’s understanding of when to play him and when to not. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are impressing in key roles at Arsenal and Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho have built great profiles for themselves in Europe at Borussia Dortmund, with the latter finally starting to emerge from a tough start to life at Manchester United.

Each of these players have had the spotlight on them, dealt with it and grown. Somebody else who is tipped to go far, also at Old Trafford, is Mason Greenwood. His career has not caught fire quite like the others yet but coaches, teammates and fans are adamant it will. His finishing has been singled out for praise, with the suggestion being that, before Cristiano Ronaldo arrived this summer, he was the best at the club in that regard.

But Greenwood is approaching slow burner territory. He hasn’t exploded onto the seen in the way Bellingham and Saka did in particular and his trajectory is following Foden’s much more closely. The overwhelming positive from his perspective is that Foden turned out superbly but there were tough moments in the run up to him finally settling into the first team at City. Guardiola was constantly fielding questions about him as a teenager and there were calls for him to go out on loan for a long time.

While that isn’t happening for Greenwood, there must be an element of frustration that he hasn’t yet found his feet like others have. At 20, it is not like he is short on time and Manchester United are known for protecting young players, that is why they have such a successful record of academy products making it in the first team.

There have been factors that haven’t helped Greenwood and not all of them are his fault. Getting sent home from the England set up in September last year after breaching Covid-19 restrictions, alongside Foden, stunted his progress immensely. That may have been his moment to make a mark similar to his peers.  He hasn’t played for his country since and recently asked not to be selected until next year. Gareth Southgate obliged.

But this is where the bad luck really comes in. Ahead of the Euro 2020 campaign last summer, which really changed perceptions of a number of players after England reached the final, he was forced to withdraw from the squad through injury. It was a sliding doors moment, before Ronaldo’s return added another roadblock in his path.

Nobody can argue with the Portuguese’s individual impact since returning. However, the debate has raged about the validity of it, and whether the wider tactical connotations justified his transfer. Particularly with Ralph Rangnick looking to implement a style based on pressing and intensity, two things Ronaldo has strategically avoided as he’s got older to prolong his time at the top.

Greenwood is more likely biding his time rather than getting lost in the system. But, equally, the logic behind Edinson Cavani’s signing at the beginning of last season was to relieve the burden of goalscoring from his shoulders while setting an example for him to learn from. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were in that conversation too but, as the only out and out striker, Greenwood was the focus.

With Ronaldo there now, it has complicated matters mainly because any time he is rested, or even dropped, there is a harsh reaction. He will undoubtedly be a great mentor for Greenwood but sooner or later, the youngster needs chances to play.

He took one against Young Boys in the Champions League and there have been comparisons made between him and Robin van Persie. Provided the opportunities arisen he could follow in Foden’s footsteps and come out of an awkward phase to kick on; everybody hopes that’ll happen soon enough.

 

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