Ralf Rangnick’s arrival might have come at just the right time for Manchester United wonderkid, Mason Greenwood. The Englishman has fallen out of the starting XI lately, after a brilliant start to the campaign. The German manager appears to have plans for him though although he wants the youngster to earn more playing time for himself this season.
He might have just done that with his first few performances. He put in an encouraging display against Crystal Palace in the last Premier League game.
Greenwood replaced Jadon Sancho in the second half, with the score tied at 0-0. And the 20-year-old made his presence felt and provided the assist for Fred, who scored a stunner to help Manchester United get three very important points.
In the next game, he started against Young Boys in the Champions League, and got the goal for Manchester United in the 1-1 draw.
Greenwood needs to bring his Manchester United career back on track
Greenwood had hit the ground running from the first league game of the season, delivering match-winning performances. But he has lost a bit of momentum recently, finding himself on the bench on several occasions. His performances since the arrival of Rangnick are very promising though.
Rangnick is a manager who is famed for his ability to spot young talents, and is not afraid of giving them a chance in the first-team. And he appears to rate Greenwood highly. As reported by the Daily Mail, he recently said:
"‘Mason [Greenwood] did so well at the start of the season.‘I think he scored three or four goals in the first three games, he’s a very gifted homegrown player and I would love to give him more game-time in the future.‘But, of course, he has to deserve his game-time in training and, therefore, it was good to have him on the bench and bring him on the pitch.’"
There is no question about Greenwood’s talent or ability. But right now, it might be more about finding the right place for him in the starting XI. And with Jadon Sancho finding some form recently as well, the two might end up competing for the first-team minutes.
They are two of the biggest young talents in world football right now though. So that is a good headache for Rangnick to have.