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2020-21 Performances


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5.8 Season Average Rating
Appearances
52
Goals
12
Assists
5
Yellow cards
2
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thepolice123

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I hate the ‘zero backlift’ line. It’s nonsense.

What’s actually happening is that he’s got the ability to hit the ball at any point, with both feet, in his natural running stride. The ‘backlift’ nonsense keeps cropping up. He has oodles of backlift, he’s just properly special and can use a standard stride to hit the ball hard, into a corner, routinely.

He’s going to be a proper player.
It just means he can release shots quicker than most players. Its not really a criticism. Backlift is the back movement before kicking the ball. Its sort of like reload speed. The lesser the backlift, the faster the shot gets released.
 

SER19

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I much prefer minutes played as a reference. I feel that appearances is too vague. Two players can play in 101 games, with one playing twice as many minutes as the other, yet the '101 appearances' doesn't allow for proper comparison.

3,075 minutes (eq. of 34 full matches), 16 goals, 3 assists in the Premier League
1250 minutes (eq. of 13 full matches), 6 goals, 2 assists in Europa
646 minutes (eq. of 7 full matches), 3 goals, 1 assist in FA Cup
212 minutes (eq. of 2 full matches), 1 goal, 2 assists in Champions League

Seen from a minutes per contribution perspective, his performance at 19 is even better than your original observation even, which is phenomenal.
Yeah i agree from that point of view regards goals. I suppose im looking from pov of game involvement and experience which will stand by him as he hits his peak
 

A-man

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Sometimes I feel he is the only one who understands that “ no shots - no goals”.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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It just means he can release shots quicker than most players. Its not really a criticism. Backlift is the back movement before kicking the ball. Its sort of like reload speed. The lesser the backlift, the faster the shot gets released.
Nah. It’s lazy.
 

Red00012

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Assuming 8 forwards for four positions.

Sancho, Kane, Rashford, Sterling, Grealish, Foden, Mount, DCL.

I think DCL gets it because he could add something different but it maybe between Greenwood and DCL.

Greenwood rightly should not be included yet and it’s good for us too.
Grealish hasn’t played in 2 months
 

The United

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His form is one of the reasons that we might not go for Sancho. Buying Amad to develop is another, of course.

He is improving his overall place very nicely which is a requirement for playing on the wing. His movements should get better and it will give him a few more goals.

Before, all he did was running and shooting into the crowds with head down.
 

#07

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His form is one of the reasons that we might not go for Sancho. Buying Amad to develop is another, of course.

He is improving his overall place very nicely which is a requirement for playing on the wing. His movements should get better and it will give him a few more goals.

Before, all he did was running and shooting into the crowds with head down.
I would be fine with this.

Some people have a determination to see Mason as a centre forward. However, look how many goals Salah gets off the right. Why is it so crazy to think Mason can't do that too?

After the way he was thrown under the bus by Southgate, and the loss of his close friend, he understandably lost form. Now his head is right he's hitting the back of the net again. The more game time he gets the more he'll score.

Also, if we have big money, it should go on a centre back and centre midfielder. Sancho is a bit of a luxury.
 

DWelbz19

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Wait, I'm out of the loop, what happened again?
I wouldn’t say hung him out to dry - that was the other poster - but what I would say is that when he was initially called up, Ole actually personally called Southgate up prior and asked him to not, as he felt it was too early for Greenwood. It was the same season where we had kept him away entirely from all pressers and media where he was absolutely bagging for fun. The club were carefully (and really well at that) managing him, only for Southgate to instantly call him up and in his first day made him do a fecking presser for the NT! Obviously what followed was Mason’s own idiocy, but it would’ve never happened if he wasn’t in the side like we requested.

All in the past now, and say I’m being precious or whatever, but there was a real lack of subtlety or nuance from Southgate there.
 

Inigo Montoya

Leave Wayne Rooney alone!!
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has anyone said he is similar to RVP?
Not for about 10 minutes but there are an awful lot on here who don't know much about football development who were saying he'd regressed. I think one or two were suggesting he needed a loan :lol:

The Caf's tendency to write off talented young players is quite remarkable
 

Tallis

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Been saying for few months that his overall game has progressed significantly even though his goal scoring has not been as good as last season. He still has a lot of development left
 
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Not for about 10 minutes but there are an awful lot on here who don't know much about football development who were saying he'd regressed. I think one or two were suggesting he needed a loan :lol:

The Caf's tendency to write off talented young players is quite remarkable
it really is. The same was true for Rashford. I’ve even seen suggestions Henderson should go out on loan again. Same with Amed.

I don’t know whether it’s posters who are young themselves, who don’t understand that a players development is not linear or whether it really is just impatience.
 

Inigo Montoya

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it really is. The same was true for Rashford. I’ve even seen suggestions Henderson should go out on loan again. Same with Amed.

I don’t know whether it’s posters who are young themselves, who don’t understand that a players development is not linear or whether it really is just impatience.
And a massive sense of entitlement
 

lysglimt

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Greenwood turns 20 on October 1. There are 5 matches left to play this season and maybe 8 or 9 matches to play in all competition next season before he turns 20. Norman Whiteside has the record with 37 goals scored for United as a teenager. It is not realistic that he will better that - but he probably wont be too far behind.
 

Red00012

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I’m not basing a transfer decision on two months when he hasn’t played.
You don’t get selected for your international team if you’re not playing is what I’m getting at yano
 

dal

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You don’t get selected for your international team if you’re not playing is what I’m getting at yano
Sorry, yes you have a point, thought it was a different thread but I still think Grealish goes if fit.
 

Abraxas

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I would be fine with this.

Some people have a determination to see Mason as a centre forward. However, look how many goals Salah gets off the right. Why is it so crazy to think Mason can't do that too?

After the way he was thrown under the bus by Southgate, and the loss of his close friend, he understandably lost form. Now his head is right he's hitting the back of the net again. The more game time he gets the more he'll score.

Also, if we have big money, it should go on a centre back and centre midfielder. Sancho is a bit of a luxury.
This is my reading too. It absolutely baffles me people harp on about sticking the lad up front. You only have to look at his frame, his current play, the qualities he is showing on the right to know he is exactly where he needs to be at this current stage of his development.

I don't know why it is automatically presumed that he will be a striker, it seems like any time a forward scores goals this is the conclusion despite the fact that in modern football all inside forwards are expected to score plenty so that isn't a distinguishing characteristic. It's a completely different set of skills, which is why Rashford and Martial have also never convinced when shunted into that position and yet they always had a section of supporters banging the drum for them as a 9.

He might end up there but he is surely not ready, he's still growing, asking the lad to play back to goal up against people is not sensible and seems like a misreading of his current skills. We get great benefit from the fact that any time he isolates a full back there is danger. He can put in good crosses. We can afford for him to drift in and out of the game as young players show a likelihood to do.

The very least we need to do is slowly introduce him to that role and let him fill out. He's not ready to be a Cavani backup in my opinion which is also why I'm not so keen on Sancho. I'm not sure the right is the biggest hole while this lad has the shirt.
 

acnumber9

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It absolutely baffles me people harp on about sticking the lad up front.
Because he’s an incredible finisher and for long spells he wasn’t getting enough chances to take advantage of it. When you have as gifted a finisher as this guy you want him between the width of the goal getting on the end of chances.
 

Abraxas

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Because he’s an incredible finisher and for long spells he wasn’t getting enough chances to take advantage of it. When you have as gifted a finisher as this guy you want him between the width of the goal getting on the end of chances.
There are many players that have been cracking finishers that have not played as a striker. This was the point being made, finishing isn't a characteristic that can distinguish a wide forward from a striker in and of itself, so it doesn't follow that he's a striker by virtue of good finishing. It also does not follow that shunting him up front means we can get him tons of chances, Martials productivity has taken a nosedive, it depends on his interaction with that role and the team.

As an earlier poster has mentioned, look at some of the most productive players in the league of late, some have played as wide forwards and they didn't get their numbers through missing bucket loads of chances. It would be fair to say they are good finishers.

The top 9s do however have some combination of characteristics that are not immediately obvious within Greenwood as an extremely young player. There are different types of forward but within our style you can immediately see some of them within Cavani that are not so obvious within any of the other options when they are played there. I would venture it is because he has the qualities of a striker and when we lose him we lose those things. A prime example would be some of the movements, headed goals, and ability back to goal that we have seen of late. It is clear that Cavani is not a great striker just because he can finish chances.
 

acnumber9

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There are many players that have been cracking finishers that have not played as a striker. This was the point being made, finishing isn't a characteristic that can distinguish a wide forward from a striker in and of itself, so it doesn't follow that he's a striker by virtue of good finishing. It also does not follow that shunting him up front means we can get him tons of chances, Martials productivity has taken a nosedive, it depends on his interaction with that role and the team.

As an earlier poster has mentioned, look at some of the most productive players in the league of late, some have played as wide forwards and they didn't get their numbers through missing bucket loads of chances. It would be fair to say they are good finishers.

The top 9s do however have some combination of characteristics that are not immediately obvious within Greenwood as an extremely young player. There are different types of forward but within our style you can immediately see some of them within Cavani that are not so obvious within any of the other options when they are played there. I would venture it is because he has the qualities of a striker and when we lose him we lose those things. A prime example would be some of the movements, headed goals, and ability back to goal that we have seen of late. It is clear that Cavani is not a great striker just because he can finish chances.
Yes, but it’s an obvious reason why people think he’ll end up a striker or want him to. He went through a phase where playing out wide definitely wasn’t getting the best out of his gifts. I know it’s become an obvious comparison now but Van Persie wasn’t a forward like Cavani either and had his own spell as a winger. He was infinitely better as a striker though.

Ultimately players like Cavani aren’t coming through at the moment. Certainly not to that level and when they aren’t you have to go with something different. A ridiculously good finisher is a good start and he can learn to play up front.
 

tjb

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This is my reading too. It absolutely baffles me people harp on about sticking the lad up front. You only have to look at his frame, his current play, the qualities he is showing on the right to know he is exactly where he needs to be at this current stage of his development.

I don't know why it is automatically presumed that he will be a striker, it seems like any time a forward scores goals this is the conclusion despite the fact that in modern football all inside forwards are expected to score plenty so that isn't a distinguishing characteristic. It's a completely different set of skills, which is why Rashford and Martial have also never convinced when shunted into that position and yet they always had a section of supporters banging th, e drum for them as a 9.

He might end up there but he is surely not ready, he's still growing, asking the lad to play back to goal up against people is not sensible and seems like a misreading of his current skills. We get great benefit from the fact that any time he isolates a full back there is danger. He can put in good crosses. We can afford for him to drift in and out of the game as young players show a likelihood to do.

The very least we need to do is slowly introduce him to that role and let him fill out. He's not ready to be a Cavani backup in my opinion which is also why I'm not so keen on Sancho. I'm not sure the right is the biggest hole while this lad has the shirt.
RVP started on the flanks too. Modern day, its hard to be start as a centre forward, especially in a league like the premier league that employ hard hitting defenders. if teams employeed a 442, Greenwood would have been playing as a striker this entire time. Unfortunately, unlike the Owens and Rooney's, teams no longer play with a strike partnership, which means that the role of the 9 is the most important on the team. It would be unreasonable to leave that in the hands of a 19 year old when challenging for the league. As of now he has only played against u23 defenders and premier league defenders, expecting that from any teenager is unfair.

He's a striker because his skillset suggests he's a striker, he played as a striker in his u-23s and the only reason he hasn't looked great in terms of his movement as a striker is because we don't have the leisure of giving him a run as the lone 9. He's not the first striker or the last to be in this position. The main difference is whereas most no.9's are bought by top teams since they have already proven themselves as a 9, Greenwood is in the position of having to break through from the academy. Higauin ( Kane was on loan at Leicester) was the last great striker from a top team to break through, he started his professional career on the flanks. Why? Because like a centre back, the no.9 role has too much responsibility for a youngster.
 
Man Utd 1:2 Leicester

laughtersassassin

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Very good goal. Schmeichel maybe should have saved it but his skill to make the space earned him the goal.

Also was just out best player in general today.

The responsibility of being a senior player suited him.
 

lenny_1248

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To think that some idiots wrote him off a couple of months ago...
What a player.
 

#07

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Starboy. Game after game Greenwood bags. Such a great young player.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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He's top class, I honestly think he's underrated on this board. Someone saying take Watkins instead of him to the Euros, get fecked. Why is Foden a shoo-in when Greenwood is equally as bright a talent? Really strange.
 

tjb

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He can clearly lead the line, he showed that today. He's not a Cavani though. He's a player that can link up play and still shoot, like Kane. He just has to get more experienced and a little bit bigger to demonstrate this consistently.
 
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