This past season has been a big year of progress for Mason Greenwood, who had scored 13 first team goals in all competitions before the break.
If he had played more regularly, there is every chance he would have had a lot more, over 20. But that’s the dilemma.
United are trying to ensure Greenwood is an asset long-term, rather than have him be a player whose star shines brightly and then disappears from view.
Michael Owen is the clearest instance of this. He reached high levels early in his career, winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot twice and the Ballon d’Or in 2001.
Yet Owen freely admits that the over-exposure early in his career was a curse as much as it was a blessing.
Owen retired at the age of 33 after a series of injuries which sapped both his talent and hunger for the game.
He told AS last year: “Up until the age of 20 I was probably one of the best in the world at that age. That continued for a certain period of time but then injuries slowed me down. I was probably on the decline at 23.”
This high profile lesson has served as a warning for managers across the country as to how young talent is managed and held back.
Owen had played 68 Premier League matches for Liverpool by the time United had won the treble in 1999, and he was only 19.
This is partly why United are being cautious with Greenwood, not to push him to do too much too soon.
While there is a sense United have held Greenwood back, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be getting it right.
Greenwood has had a lot of opportunity too, accumulating 1,717 first team minutes this season.
That is a lot for a player who just turned 18 at the end of last year.This break can serve as a positive for the teenager.
Greenwood will get the rest he needs, which is crucial at a young age, and allow his mind to focus on becoming the player he wants to be.
The young striker will be using this time to get fitter and stronger, while protecting his body from the rough and tumble of Premier League action.
It is a test of his motivation, and one everything we have seen about his determined character so far, suggests he will pass with flying colours.
United are likely to see an even better, more lethal Mason Greenwood when football returns, and the benefits will be seen long-term as well as short.
Nobody wants Greenwood to burn out like Owen did, and this steady progression will help him, with this unwelcome rest providing an opportunity to recover from the big step up he has made this season.
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