
1. Mason Greenwood, Manchester United
On the red side of Manchester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked upon the United training pitch and may have been satisfied with what he was witnessing in the Premier League.
He watched over a fit Paul Pogba matching up with the newly arrived sparkplug Bruno Fernandes on one side of the field.
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On the other, a rejuvenated Anthony Martial, a repaired Marcus Rashford, and an emboldened Mason Greenwood finalizing the connections from the mid-field by burning balls through the back of the net.
Manchester United continued their unbeaten roll by winning five and drawing one of their games since the resumption of play last month.
The 18-year old Greenwood has been exceptionally dynamic. He has surgically struck four goals in his last three league appearances.
The expected goals (xG) on those strikes were a stunning 0.07, 0.11, 0.07, and 0.10 each, which added together is a league-best +3.11 finishing rate since the re-start.
Some have suggested that the academy product has over-performed and will come back to Earth (sorry, another lousy cliche)
Mason’s overall numbers for this season suggest otherwise.
The young Englishman has 16 goals in all competitions this season. His finishing rate in the Premier League is a ridiculous +5.8, which also is the league’s best. In the Europa League, he has a rate of +3.4.
As Ole looks upon the training pitch as the rapidly developing Greenwood lashes balls into the goal, he may be asking himself with a sly smile: Do I need Jadon Sancho?