Ole Gunnar Solskjær is considering giving Mason Greenwood a run of starts for Manchester United because of the 18-year-old’s impressive form.
Greenwood has scored three times in his past two matches, though he started only the 4-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar, featuring as a replacement in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Everton. Solskjær’s side were trailing against Everton until Greenwood entered, the striker scoring 12 minutes later with a calm 18-yard finish.
Greenwood has seven goals in 19 matches, though he has started only once in the Premier League – the 2-1 victory over Tottenham in which he led the line admirably.
The manager accepted Greenwood was making a case to be given an extended run. “He’s making it hard for me to leave him out,” Solskjær said. “I remember when I came to the club [in summer 1996] and I kept scoring a few goals [and] the manager’s comments were that it was hard to keep players who score out of the team. It’s very difficult now to put a team out there without having Mason in my mind.”
Paul Pogba’s recovery from an ankle injury has suffered a setback because of illness. The midfielder last played in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal on 30 September.
“Of all things he’s struck down ill now,” Solskjær said. “He’s been off for two or three days, so that’s not beneficial. That’s probably set him back quite a bit.”
Solskjær resisted the notion that the midfielder’s prolonged absence means he is building a side without Pogba.
“As I’ve said so many times, Paul is a top player that we want to see playing his best football at Man United. We just need to get him fit and match fit. It might be half an hour, 45, 60, 90 [minutes] – who knows – [in] the first game. We’re working hard to get him back but now he’s ill.”
United play Colchester at home in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final and Solskjær believes winning the trophy in his first full season in charge would galvanise his long-term project.
“It’s massive for a player, the first trophy he wins, no matter which one it is. For me, I remember when Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic won their first trophy against Wigan [the 2006 League Cup]. They got that feeling and when you get that feeling of winning it’s something you want more and more of. This group, we have a few players who won the championship but there’s less and less left of them, so for us it would be massive.
“The prize now is getting to a semi-final and then you’re not too far away. The motivation and the attitude will be right on Wednesday definitely.
“It’s a good team that we’re building and it would benefit a lot from winning a trophy or getting to a final … We’re going to make changes again because there’s so many games. I hope and think the team I’m going to put out is going to be strong enough to win a game.
“At home against a League Two side you’re the big favourites and we’ve got to accept that but we have to go out there and earn it.”
