How can Manchester United lineup with Mason Greenwood?
Manchester United released a statement on their stance on Mason Greenwood yesterday. The young English forward has been out of action since the club opened an independent investigation on the rape charges in January 2022. In the statement, United said that they are yet to make a decision on Greenwood’s future with the club.
There are multiple reports that Manchester United’s hierarchy and manager Erik ten Hag want Greenwood back into the first-team squad. However, they want the final word from the first-team men’s and women’s squad regarding the English forward’s future.
If you are a Manchester United fan, you can certainly make the case on why you want or don’t want Mason Greenwood back in the squad. However, the final decision lies within the club, and they can certainly bring the left-footed forward back. If Greenwood is back, let’s see how United can line up with him.
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This is probably the most balanced way of playing with Greenwood in the team. The 21-year-old was on the cusp of making the best young English forward before Manchester United investigated his charges. If you have seen his goal against Leeds United two years ago, it represents everything Greenwood is about. Getting behind defenses and slotting it past goalkeepers is his biggest arsenal.
However, he barely got chances in the striker’s position due to the presence of Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo. With both gone and Rasmus Hojlund struggling with an injury, he can instantly slot into the striker’s position and make it his own.
More importantly, he will have better wingers alongside him, which has never been the case in his two years with Manchester United. Marcus Rashford enjoyed his best goalscoring season last year. Although Antony has struggled with consistency, he is still a handful on the right wing. All three attackers can change their positions consistently by having Greenwood up top, giving oppositional defenders a headache.
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As we have mentioned in the previous point, Greenwood had to operate on the right wing due to the presence of Cavani and Ronaldo. However, it wasn’t like the 21-year-old was misfiring on the wing, was he?
He scored 12 goals in the 2020/21 season and added another six in the 2021/22 season before being subjected to charges in January. These numbers are better than Antony’s first season with Manchester United, who scored eight goals in 44 appearances.
Once Hojlund returns to full fitness, he can operate as the striker with Greenwood on the right and Rashford on the left. This trio will promise a lot of excitement for Manchester United fans.
