Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed his Manchester United forwards and said Mason Greenwood is the best finisher he’s ever worked with.
Some praise indeed from the ‘baby-faced assassin’ who is widely considered to be the best finisher in Premier League history.
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Greenwood, still just 18 years old, scored twice in the 5-2 demolition of Bournemouth on Saturday as Man United are now 16 games unbeaten in all competitions and have all of the momentum in the top four battle.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Solskjaer was delighted with the attacking display of his side and singled out academy product Greenwood for special praise.
“They are exciting. We have players who provide chances for them but they have pace and skill. It is just too bad our fans could not be here and spurred them on for a couple more,” Solskjaer said. “Mason [Greenwood] has chipped in with 15, Bruno’s [Fernandes] tally is going up so we have goals everywhere. I am not worried about goals in the team.
“Mason is one of the best if not the best finisher I have worked with and seen. He is so calm. He knows where to finish if it is on the training ground, here or in his garden at home. We have to build on that. Many big games to come and we need more big wins because we know our goal difference isn’t the greatest. Confidence is sky high, you get energy and confidence by performances and results and we are getting that at the minute. I have enjoyed the last few games to be honest and it is healthy, you don’t age as quickly.”
Greenwood has been a revelation since the restart and is now a regular starter on the right flank. With Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford alongside him, plus Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes feeding them all chances, it looks like Solskjaer has finally found the right balance for this Man United side.
They’ve scored 11 goals in their last three Premier League games and Greenwood’s clinical finishing and performances has perhaps calmed down any approaches for Ferran Torres or Jadon Sancho this summer, or even next year.
Greenwood, Rashford and Martial are all 24 years old or younger and this Man United attack is staking its claim to be the best in the Premier League as the aforementioned trio have now scored more goals (55) than Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino combined (51) in all competitions this season. Let that sink in. Greenwood has just become a regular, while both Rashford and Martial have been out injured
The potential for Greenwood and Co. is limitless and Man United fans everywhere will be incredibly excited by their finish to the 2019-20 season. There are still some defensive issues to iron out but going forward, Solskjaer has created an attacking juggernaut.