Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer distanced Mason Greenwood from comparisons to Wayne Rooney after the teenage forward starred a 4-0 win against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night.
The Red Devils continued their December resurgence despite a lackluster first half against their Dutch opponents, as Greenwood grabbed the headlines.
Club captain Ashley Young opened the scoring and then the 18-year-old striker fired home two sublime finishes either side of winning a penalty that Spanish playmaker Juan Mata converted to earn the top spot in their Europa League group.
All the goals for the home side came in the space of 11 second-half minutes, as Solskjaer’s men are now seeded for Monday’s knockout-stage draw.
The 46-year-old Norwegian heaped praise on the teenage striker and explained why Greenwood is a great finisher, “He’s different class as a finisher. In and around the box you expect him to get a shot off and on target. He’s so precise in his finishing. He’s good at how he creates space for himself.”
Solskjaer was then asked by reporters to draw parallels with another famous European night at Old Trafford when 18-year-old Wayne Rooney marked his Champions League debut with a hat-trick against Fenerbahce.
However, Solskjaer was quick to point out the differences between the two, “No, no, no. He’s a different type of player, Mason than Wazza, but he must have enjoyed tonight The thing is with Mason, he’s just going to look forward to Sunday tomorrow – he’s not going to rest on his laurels”
