Mason Greenwood came off the bench and nearly struck the winning goal for Manchester United against West Brom.
Just three minutes after coming on, Greenwood had a shot saved by Sam Johnstone, with Scott McTominay’s subsequent effort cleared off the line.
It will go down as a chance missed and Greenwood looked annoyed with himself, but it was good to have the directness he provided after a flat opening 65 minutes at The Hawthorns.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw. That wasn’t down to a lack of effort from Greenwood, 19.
A better fit
United’s attack looked more balanced once Greenwood came on for Anthony Martial, with Marcus Rashford moving back out to the left wing.
Greenwood interchanged passes with Rashford after drifting inside, and when he got the chance to run at West Brom’s defenders, he did so.
He nearly provided a game winning moment late in the match after a driving run to the touchline, beating a defender, and whipping the ball into the back post. Unfortunately his teammates were not on the same page and nobody had gambled; they would have had a tap-in.
United shouldn’t be relying on a teenager as the team’s most lively attacking threat, but here we are.
In 25 minutes on the pitch, Greenwood touched the ball 29 times. Anthony Martial had 40 touches in 65 minutes.
It was this desire to get on the ball and make things happen which made United more lively.
Greenwood can’t start every game, and he was probably being kept back for the Europa League. Unfortunately the team could have done with him on for the start in Sunday’s game.
Reaction
Greenwood did largely what was asked of him; he made a positive difference to the team after coming on. While there wasn’t a goal to show for it, it was clear to see the improvement he provided.
Here is a look at the reaction to the teenager’s performance…
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- Alejandro Garnacho receives rare reaction from one former Man Utd teammate after Aston Villa transfer
- Harry Amass is Man Utd’s Luke Shaw successor, but he is pushing to take over right now
- Ruben Amorim just got humiliated by Manchester United’s academy stars vs Rosenborg
- Jacob Devaney has one big advantage over Man Utd teammates in effort to breakthrough
- JJ Gabriel sends message after first senior Man Utd pre-season trip
- Six biggest winners from Manchester United’s 5-0 win against Rosenborg
- 12 things I liked and disliked from Man Utd’s 5-0 thrashing of Rosenborg
- Joshua Zirkzee showed for Man Utd vs Rosenborg that he can have a unique role for Carrick
- Shea Lacey impressed Man United’s analysts with more than just his goal vs Rosenborg
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