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The teenage striker has revealed that he sees Manchester United’s top goalscorer as a role model, and draws inspiration from his rise to prominence
Mason Greenwood says he feels like he’s treading the same path at Manchester United as Marcus Rashford, and he is eager to learn as much as he can from the England international going forward.
Rashford was enjoying his best season yet in a United shirt prior to being cut down by injury last month, netting 19 goals across all competitions.
The 22-year-old celebrated his 200th appearance for the Red Devils on January 11, and marked the occasion by netting a brace in a 4-0 home win over Norwich.
Greenwood has had the pleasure of playing alongside Rashford since breaking into the first team last year, and the pair have already struck up an effective partnership in the final third of the pitch.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put his trust in Greenwood after shipping Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez off to Inter, and the 18-year-old has rewarded his manager’s faith by scoring 10 goals.
The teenage forward has been tipped to reach the same level as Rashford in the coming years – a player he looks up to as a shining example of how to successfully progress through the ranks at Old Trafford.
When asked if he sees Rashford as a role model, Greenwood told SPORTBible: “Yeah, definitely. He’s been in the academy and come through the ranks and I feel like I’m following in his footsteps.
“He’s a few years older than me but I can definitely take a lot of inspiration from what he has achieved so far.
“I’ve known him for a long time so I’ve seen how well he has done and how he has progressed as a player, so there’s lots to learn from being around him.”
Greenwood stepped into the senior fold during United’s 2018 pre-season tour at the age of just 16, and he recalls a number of experienced first-team stars looking out for him “on and off the pitch” during that period.
“It was a different level really,” he said. “The crowds there were all a lot bigger than what I was used to playing in front of, and there were a lot of fans from all around the world, so it was a good experience.
“To go away with strikers such as Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku was the best way to learn, just seeing how they worked as top strikers and top finishers was great for me.
“They all looked after me and helped me on and off the pitch.”
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Greenwood added on how he has developed as a player over the last 18 months of his fledgeling career: “It’s been good to play in some massive league and cup games with the first team, but I’m still doing the same things that I was doing in the Under 23s and youth teams.
“I think I have to trust the things that have got me to where I am and continue to try to do them in the first team.”
Greenwood will be back in contention for a place in Solskjaer’s lineup when the Red Devils take in a crucial trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on February 17.
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