Where do you rank Mason Greenwood as a talent?

[meamth]

One thing is for sure, Greenwood has higher ceiling than Rashford and Martial combined.

In terms of his potential, I can see him becoming as good as peak striker RVP or even better.

 

[Davie Moyes]

He reminds me of Rivaldo. Not saying he will be as good as him but he seems to have that cheekiness to him and a shot which is capable of any type of finish not to mention he’s a top set piece taker. Awkward gait with wonderful step overs and deceptive pace.

Interesting comparison. Whilst stylistically he is like RVP your description fits very well.

 

[OL29]

A RvN type of player. He has been compared more with RvP, but IMO, he is more similar to Nistelrooy. RvP was very one-footed, and at Greenwood's age, was not a good finisher at all.
.

Seen a few people say this about RVP but from what I remember, he was lethal with his right foot, he scored all types of goals his weaker side, it’s surprising to see him labelled as one footed.

 

[Charlie Foley]

Sancho for that matter doesn't get a lot of talking about either but I guess that's because he plays in Germany

I don’t think that’s true

 

[POF]

He is an amazing talent. You can see the improvement in him every game as he gets more comfortable at senior level. His finishing gets all the headlines but he has a top class all round game. He is technically excellent. He's the best prospect I've seen come through the academy.

Even Rio seems convinced. He compared him to Jermain Defoe! We can only hope he reaches those lofty heights!

 

[AltiUn]

I said it a few times before he made his first team debut that I thought he was the best player I'd ever seen at academy level, from a United perspective. I personally think he'll be up there with the very best of them, I had my suspicions but this season has cemented that belief. If he was playing for Dortmund they'd be demanding a similar price for him as they are for Sancho.

EDIT: just to add to that, there's so many levels to his game he's not yet displayed in the first team, he's barely scratched the surface if I'm being honest.

 

[Righteous Steps]

Seen a few people say this about RVP but from what I remember, he was lethal with his right foot, he scored all types of goals his weaker side, it’s surprising to see him labelled as one footed.

He developed it as he got older, Greenwood has been two footed since a kid.

 

[OL29]

He developed it as he got older, Greenwood has been two footed since a kid.

That’s true, it was something he developed as he got older, he did it to great effect though. I think Greenwood has the ability to dribble with his right too, which increases his unpredictability too.

 

[RC89]

I hope he reads RedCafe and sees all this praise.

I hope Lingard also reads RedCafe.

 

[Bondi77]

Sky is limitless for the young man,
I just hope he has a good head on hi shoulders and always keeps good people around him.

 

[Lj82]

A lot of people praising Rooney for having a more complete game at this stage of their career. I wonder to what extent does confidence play a part? Many people who watched Greenwood in the youth teams are saying Greenwood has much more in his locker but is playing conservatively now, while I think Rooney was just supremely confident and more physically developed at that stage to show his talent.

 

[Sean_RedDevil]

He is of course a "Category 1 talent".

 

[mav_9me]

A lot of people praising Rooney for having a more complete game at this stage of their career. I wonder to what extent does confidence play a part? Many people who watched Greenwood in the youth teams are saying Greenwood has much more in his locker but is playing conservatively now, while I think Rooney was just supremely confident and more physically developed at that stage to show his talent.

100%.

You will see him trying more stuff in final 3rd, riskier passes and dribbling past players. Right now he keeps it simple.

 

[NinjaZombie]

I see a lot of comparisons to Rooney but they're two different players at 18. Rooney was aggressive and was a revelation because of how fearless he was. Greenwood seems more matured as a player. He plays the game like he's been playing at this level for 3-4 years already.

The common thing about them both is that they don't and didn't look like typical 18 year olds playing their first seasons at the top level, for two different reasons.

 

[Nep77]

He looks like he could get to the second or third tier. He lacks a few things to ever join Messi, Maradona, R9 etc. at the top, but with a perfect career he could get to Rooney's level or even a little better.

I would be seriously disappointed if he just ends up with around 250 goals like Rooney. If he doesn't have injuries he is well on his way to break that and will end up a better player if he keeps up.

 

[Kush]

He’s up there with Foden as the biggest talent in the Premier League. On a global scale, I’d put him below the likes of Sancho and Mbappe. Still, a very special talent.

Someone made a great point that comparing him to RvP would be limiting Mason at this point. RVP had an absolutely wand of a left but his right wasn’t up to much. Greenwood can literally go either way which just gives him a different dimension. Supremely talented.

Van Persie right foot wasn’t up to much? I feel like you need to refresh your memory.


Some of you might want to refresh your memory on Rooney too, he was a force of nature at Greenwoods’ age.

 

[roonster09]

A lot of people praising Rooney for having a more complete game at this stage of their career. I wonder to what extent does confidence play a part? Many people who watched Greenwood in the youth teams are saying Greenwood has much more in his locker but is playing conservatively now, while I think Rooney was just supremely confident and more physically developed at that stage to show his talent.

It's not just confidence and physicality, Rooney had superb allround game. He wasn't very good dribbler but his passing was very good. He wasn't a CF or pure striker, he is more like attacking mid scoring so many goals. His work rate, passing, ability to score ridiculous goals and how dynamic he was set him apart.

Greenwood has other attributes where he is better than Rooney, his dribbling ability, finishing with both feet is better than Rooney, even first touch too as this is something Rooney was inconsistent with.

 

[Lj82]

It's not just confidence and physicality, Rooney had superb allround game. He wasn't very good dribbler but his passing was very good. He wasn't a CF or pure striker, he is more like attacking mid scoring so many goals. His work rate, passing, ability to score ridiculous goals and how dynamic he was set him apart.

Greenwood has other attributes where he is better than Rooney, his dribbling ability, finishing with both feet is better than Rooney, even first touch too as this is something Rooney was inconsistent with.

I know Rooney's strength. What I meant was his confidence and fearlessness makes him more expressive. My main point is that Greenwood seems to be more reserved in expressing his entire skill set. And just to add, I'm totally fine with that.

 

[roonster09]

I know Rooney's strength. What I meant was his confidence and fearlessness makes him more expressive. My main point is that Greenwood seems to be more reserved in expressing his entire skill set. And just to add, I'm totally fine with that.

Oh I agree with that. Greenwood is capable of more and we can already see huge difference in his play after the restart. He is stronger physically and plays with more freedom.

 

[Number32]

Some news paper start calling him "The Phenomenon" already, like they did to Brazilian Ronaldo. Tbf Ronaldo was scoring 30+ goals in a season when he was 18, who also was a two footed striker like Greenwood.

Please don't want to give him the pressure, this kid is still learning the men's game.

 

[Rocksy]

He’s technically miles better than Haaland. Never seen an 18 year old who is so efficient, usually takes a good few years for a player to be so minimal. You can see him just getting used to banging goals in and that he’s going to start showing the skills a bit more once that done. He’s so good that he can pretty much choose how he wants to play...

 

[Lj82]

Oh I agree with that. Greenwood is capable of more and we can already see huge difference in his play after the restart. He is stronger physically and plays with more freedom.

Yup agree. His overall performance went up a notch post lock down.

 

[Strelok]

A RvN type of player. He has been compared more with RvP, but IMO, he is more similar to Nistelrooy. RvP was very one-footed, and at Greenwood's age, was not a good finisher at all.

Greenwood also has a massive pace, has to be one of the fastest players in the league. Has easily world-class talent, and should be better than our other two strikers within a couple of years, if everything goes right. I don't remember being more bullish for a United young player since Ronaldo. Injury-permitting, if he doesn't become one of the best players in the world, I will be extremely surprised and disappointed.

Oh I have the exact same thought here. Just had a post says exactly the same thing in the Greenwood performance thread

However I'd disagree that VPS was very one footed, his right was pretty decent imo.

 

[shamans]

In the season that Rooney finished as an 17 year old, he scored 8 goals in 37 games; and in the season he finished as an 18 year old, he scored 9 goals in 40 matches.

In the season Greenwood finished as a 17 year old, he scored 0 goals in 4 games; and in the season he's going to finish as an 18 year old, he's scored 15 goals in 41 matches so far.

So, at the same stages of their career, Rooney was at 17 goals in 77 matches whereas Greenwood is at 15 goals in 45 matches.

If Greenwood scores 3 more before the end of the season (and he will) he'll have overtaken Rooney for his club goal scoring record.

Rooney was way, way more than his goals. Having said that, let's wait and see what happens with regards to Mason.

 

[shamans]

I have perhaps a weird comparison, but I'd rate him somewhere around Becks, it's just that Mason is mostly focused on goalscoring. He has the same machine-like accuracy, power and decision-making – even though I don't see him becoming a GOAT contender, at least yet (I mean the feeling that you've got from watching Luis Ronaldo, young Messi or Rooney even). I'd be happy to be proven wrong

I hope that he gets to RvP level (an obvious comparison due to their playing style similarities), and stays at the peak for a longer period. I'd me more than happy with that!

Not arguing with you but just read this and want to see I get GOAT (well not GOAT but BallonD'or/R9 level) vibes from him. My litmus test for this is a player who can make me go "what", "how" or "no". Mason scores goals he has no right of scoring whatsoever.

That said, the other player I thought could reach world class heights was Januzaj (and still do )

 

[Revan]

Not arguing with you but just read this and want to see I get GOAT (well not GOAT but BallonD'or/R9 level) vibes from him. My litmus test for this is a player who can make me go "what", "how" or "no". Mason scores goals he has no right of scoring whatsoever.

That said, the other player I thought could reach world class heights was Januzaj (and still do )

To be fair, we kinda exaggerated with Januzaj, but that was mostly cause everything else that season was shit, so we had to find some good things.

Januzaj scores 4 goals on his first season playing more than Greenwood, playing in a similar position, for a team that was scoring as much as this one. Greenwood has already 15.

 

[shamans]

To be fair, we kinda exaggerated with Januzaj, but that was mostly cause everything else that season was shit, so we had to find some good things.

Januzaj scores 4 goals on his first season playing more than Greenwood, playing in a similar position, for a team that was scoring as much as this one. Greenwood has already 15.

Well don't forget Januzaj was carrying a Man United team at 18. He always had the talent but seemed to fall just short. I am one of his few fans though and still think Januzaj will win a major trophy (La Liga, Prem or Bundesliga) and he will be considered a top talent but I have lost hope he will be anything like what I first saw.

That said, I never got the feeling with Januzaj that I get with greenwood right now. Mason is terrifying. Maybe I am carried away or I am missing something because I rate him much higher than most on here!

 

[VictoriaRed]

Reading about comparisons to Rooney, which is silly! Totally different players. He's more Berba than Rooney! I don't know yet with this lad in terms of his type of ceiling because his ceiling is astronomical! Feck, he bangs in the goals, left, right footed; smashed, guided in; he's way beyond his years. His instincts/technique around goal is innate. Can't wait to see him develop.

 

[Nikelesh Reddy]

He excites me as much as Rooney and Ronaldo excited me when they first came to United. He’s going to be great for us.

This.Hes clearly a cut above players like Rashford and Martial...In my view he’s as good as Wayne Rooney was when he was 18,and that’s a huge compliment.Like Ole said after the brighton game,the sky is the limit for this lad...

 

[Withnail]

I have perhaps a weird comparison, but I'd rate him somewhere around Becks, it's just that Mason is mostly focused on goalscoring. He has the same machine-like accuracy, power and decision-making – even though I don't see him becoming a GOAT contender, at least yet (I mean the feeling that you've got from watching Luis Ronaldo, young Messi or Rooney even). I'd be happy to be proven wrong

I hope that he gets to RvP level (an obvious comparison due to their playing style similarities), and stays at the peak for a longer period. I'd me more than happy with that!

I hope he's nothing like RVP, who under-achieved, let's be honest.

He's miles ahead of where RVP was at his age.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Rooney had better all round game and was much more ‘busy’ at 18 I think. Though my memory is hazy. Mason does simple things really well and his ball retention is fantastic — definitely better than Rooney at his age but Rooney had the audacity to clip 50 yard balls and create chances at will — his end product was always going to suffer because of that.

Yeah Rooney's all-round play was the best I've seen from a teenager at this football club. He was explosive, his vision was superb, he would get you out of your seat. He was just as likely to pop it about well, play a perfect long range pass, beat a defender or score an absurd screamer.

On the other hand, I don't think I've seen a teenager who is such a natural in the final third, as Greenwood. When he enters the final third I just know it's either going to be a goal or at the very least a decent chance. He is efficient and ruhless in the final third in the way Rooney simply wasn't.

So, very different types of talents.

 

[Bilbo]

Some news paper start calling him "The Phenomenon" already, like they did to Brazilian Ronaldo. Tbf Ronaldo was scoring 30+ goals in a season when he was 18, who also was a two footed striker like Greenwood.

Please don't want to give him the pressure, this kid is still learning the men's game.

I'm glad you posted this, because there are a ton of comparisons to Van Persie but for me the way he moves to find that half a yard in the box is much more reminiscent of a young Ronaldo.

 

[noodlehair]

Hard to tell with an 18 year old, but the scary thing with him (which was the same when he was in the U18s and reserves) is he makes everything he does look like it's really easy for him.

He scoes goals that for other players are worldies but for him it's just what he would usually do in that situation. The second goal yesterday for example. As soon as he picked up the ball and had the space I expected a goal. It's not like it was a decent chance it was just that it was Greenwood so it didn't have to be. The immediate thought is "ah all he has to do is beat that defender and then score from a difficult angle, that'll be a goal then"

It's not just his finishing either it's everything he does on the ball. There's just this effortlessness to it. I almost thing the lack of lightning pace helps him because it means he's always in complete control.

I mean I rate Rashford pretty highly...I think he can be one of the best in the world and was getting there before his injury, but Greenwood seems a level above that. Temperament and how he develops are massive factors though so you have to take it all with a big pinch of salt.

 

[mitchmouse]

easily our most natural goal-scorer and way closed to RvN than either martial or rashford will ever be

 

[harms]

I hope he's nothing like RVP, who under-achieved, let's be honest.

He's miles ahead of where RVP was at his age.

I’m talking about the peak level. As I’ve said, hopefully he’ll spend more years on the top.

 

[H10]

Top Tier for sure. His potential is scary and him being two footed makes him so unpredictable.

 

[mattunited1978]

Cant believe theres anyone that dosnt want us to sign one of the best, most exciting, young talents in the world., who happens to play a position we'v been crying out for for years...Because heaven forbid we have 4 quality attacking options to select from. Clueless

 

[Strelok]

I’m talking about the peak level. As I’ve said, hopefully he’ll spend more tears on the top.

Yeah I hope he cries a lot there too

 

[Paxi]

I’m talking about the peak level. As I’ve said, hopefully he’ll spend more tears on the top.

For me, 2010-2013 was RvP’s peak and what a peak it was. He could absolutely do everything. Score and create. Just a joy to watch. If Mason can get to that level but for a longer peak — I’d be delighted as RvP was absolutely sensational footballer in my opinion.

 

[Drainy]

I think with Rooney he was basically a man at 16/17 and he was a player who 'got' football naturally and he had excellent (if inconsistent) technical attributes as well. He was a player who could find space, pick out a pass and was a fairly decent finisher and couldn't be bullied off the ball.

I remember arguing with a friend about who would end up better between C Ronaldo and Rooney, because at 18 I thought Ronaldo would end up being the better player. My friend couldn't believe it because Rooney was already so much better at a younger age.

Rooney was a monster in his teens because of his mental (vision, understanding and will to win) and physical gifts. There was less scope for exponential improvement as a footballer.

Mason Greenwood is still learning the overall game in tactics and team play, which Rooney was at a far higher level at 18.

He has improved massively in the physical part and we are seeing what he is actually like now that he isn't as easily bullied. He still has to improve his overall team play, final pass, overcome top experienced defenders handling him in a team effort, but his technical skills are immense and he is a genius at creating space for a shot and consistently selecting the right finish (which is something Rooney never really had in his career), he has a vision on the pitch that the top players have and its a sign that he can grow into a world class player if he stays humble and works hard to learn the game.