Solskjaer recalls first sign of Greenwood´s ability as a seven-year-old

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed how he first identified Mason Greenwood’s talent when the Manchester United prodigy was aged just seven.

Greenwood, now 18, became the youngest player to notch a brace for the club in a major European competition when he struck twice in the 4-0 Europa League win over AZ on Thursday.

The teenage attacker has scored six times in total this term despite starting only seven matches.

Solskjaer described Greenwood’s finishing as “different class” after the AZ win and explained the origins of his admiration for the exciting homegrown prospect.

“I actually remember when I met him the first time,” the United manager told reporters.

“My son was training at The Cliff [United’s former training base] as an eight-year-old. Mason was seven. The first time I saw him he stood out.

“I took a picture with him and he’s now here. It’s just what we do. When he signed his contract, we had a nice little memory.”

Asked who requested the photo, Solskjaer joked: “I asked him because I knew he was going to be a [great] player! He’s probably got it [the photo].”

 @_MasonGreenwood just loves a goal at Old Trafford! That’s his fifth of the season here 

One of our own #MUFC #UEL pic.twitter.com/cMHt42ofnC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 12, 2019

Greenwood may still have to settle for a place among the substitutes when United entertain Everton on Sunday.

The Toffees will again be under the stewardship of interim manager Duncan Ferguson, who celebrated a 3-1 victory against Chelsea last weekend.

Solskjaer suggested the trend of ex-players taking charge of their former clubs could become commonplace in the Premier League.

“Duncan knows Everton, Frank [Lampard] knows Chelsea, Frederik [Ljungberg] has been at Arsenal and knows Arsenal well, I know this club well,” the Norwegian said.

“I don’t know how other clubs think, but I know we have traditions we need to keep, and we need to stick to them.

“We need to stick to the values of the club and probably others might start thinking the same.”

The Red Devils boss indicated Jesse Lingard is expected to be fit to face Everton after sustaining a knock in the Manchester derby, while Paul Pogba will “probably” return to full training next week alongside Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.