Manchester United teenager Mason Greenwood has signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2025, with an option of a further year on top of that.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JUNE 08: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Mason Greenwood of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Aon Training Complex on June 08, 2020 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Mason Greenwood, 19, joined Manchester United as a seven-year-old kid and has gone on to make 84 first-team appearances, scoring 21 goals in the process. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handed the forward his first-team debut against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in March 2019 and the new contract comes after a series of impressive performances from the youngster.
The forward enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last season, netting 17 goals in 49 games across all competitions. However, Greenwood has found it difficult to replicate his last season’s performances with just four goals in 30 appearances to his name.
Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have dropped points in their last two games that has seen their cross-town rivals Manchester City capitalize and open a 10-point lead at the top of the pile. The Norwegian tactician will hope his team strings a good run of results together in order to close the gap to Manchester City.
The Red Devils’ last title triumph came in 2012-13 under Sir Alex Ferguson but the prospect of number 21 this year looks to be fading. A lot of progress has been made under Solskjaer and he will be pretty pleased with that, as the idea this season would have been to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City.
Undoubtedly, United have suffered from defensive issues for quite some time now despite spending a lot of money to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019. Clearly, one of the things on top of the club’s wishlist in the upcoming summer transfer window will be a new centre-back.
Under Solskjaer’s management, the Red Devils have got their signings spot on. The Norwegian has focused on signing young, hungry and dynamic talents, whilst promoting academy graduates into the first-team. The signings of Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Facundo Pellestri and Amad Diallo are a testament to United’s change in recruitment policy in recent years.
Mason Greenwood’s new contract a proof of his progress
Mason Greenwood’s development has been one of the biggest positives of Solskjaer’s tenure at Old Trafford. United’s youngest-ever European goalscorer, Greenwood was a revelation for United last term having scored 17 goals in all competitions in what was his breakthrough campaign. The teenager has added four goals and five assists this season to his career tallies of 21 and 10 respectively.
Despite the one-cap England international’s slow start to 2020/21 season, the new contract can certainly be regarded as a vote of confidence in the youngster’s talent and abilities. Greenwood has proven himself in the first-team and must continue developing his game under the watchful eyes of Solskjaer. Moreover, with United building the team under Solskjaer, they have every reason to look at the 19-year-old as a regular starter in the years to come.
Greenwood has a long way to go in his career, with his best years yet to come. With diligence, attitude and right guidance, Greenwood could potentially develop into a world-class player, which makes United’s decision to hand the young forward a new contract simply perfect.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
