Ralf has big plans for Greenwood
Ralf Rangnick is planning to turn Mason Greenwood into a Manchester United powerhouse.
The Reds' 20-year-old striker scored a magnificent acrobatic volley in United’s final Champions League group match against Young Boys and had our interim boss purring over his talent. But Rangnick also wants to develop Greenwood into a stronger hitman, both in the mind and body.
“He [Mason] showed, not only with the beautiful goal, also the way that he set up an opportunity for Juan Mata, that he is a massive talent. That was brilliant,” Rangnick told a post-match press conference following the 1-1 draw with the Swiss side.
“Right foot, left foot, good on the ball, also the way he set up the goal for Fred on Sunday. But still it is about continuity. He has to develop physically. Technically, for his age, he is a great player and my job is to develop him and make an athlete out of him and, if he manages to do that, he can become a regular player for this club.”
In the press conference, Rangnick was asked about comparisons between 20-year-old Greenwood and the 21-year-old sought-after Borussia Dortmund hitman Erling Haaland.
The boss was instrumental in taking Haaland from Norwegian club Molde to RB Salzburg when he was sporting director at the Austrian outfit. Haaland has become a scoring sensation in the Bundesliga and is one of the most highly vaunted youngsters in Europe.
“I don’t think that we should compare those two players. They are different kinds of strikers,” Ralf said.
“Erling Haaland is extremely physical. Erling is a different kind of striker. For me, he is a target striker who can play as a single striker, like a target man, or another striker in a 4-4-2.
“Mason is more of a 9-and-a-half. He can play as a striker but can also come from the wing. He can also play together with another striker and he is very technical.
“Sometimes, he looks a little bit not on an athletic level and we have to develop him physically.
“But technically, all the other things he can do with a ball is outstanding. So I am not so much worried about his technical level but we need develop him mentally and physically for him to become the strongest version of himself.
“If we manage to do that, he can become a regular player and a very valuable player for our club for the future.”