Left foot, right foot, cool head and a huge work ethic, United’s new teen sensation is no surprise to his team-mate Rashford: We knew it wasn’t IF he was going to be a big star here but WHEN

Greenwood Martial Rashford Fernandes

MARCUS RASHFORD has been there, done it and got the proverbial T-shirt.

Scoring for Manchester United at 18, making his England debut at the same age and handling the huge expectation of performing for club and country.

So there are few people better placed to assess Mason Greenwood and his remarkable breakthrough season, which continued with two stunning strikes in this emphatic win over Bournemouth.

That took the 18-year-old’s tally for the season to 15, endorsed his status as the most exciting young talent in the Premier League and strengthened his claim for an England call-up.

“He’s a fantastic player,” said Rashford. “I’ve watched him before he got to the first team.

“It was never a matter of if he was going to play with us, it was just when - when can we get him involved?

“You’ve no reason not to have confidence in a player like Mason.

“I just tell him to keep doing what he’s doing because what he does is score goals, so he doesn’t need to do anything else.

“Forget everything, whatever people are doing outside, whether it’s praise or negativity.” Greenwood’s unstoppable strikes were delivered with either foot, endorsing Solskjaer’s belief he is the club’s best finisher, yet it is not just his cool head in front of goal that makes him so special.

Deep into the second-half, with

United leading 5-2 and the game already won, Greenwood sprinted 50 yards back to defend, retrieve the ball and start another flowing move that ended with Rashford putting the ball in the net.

That the goal was ruled out for offside did not matter, for Greenwood’s willingness to run back and win possession showed he has a formidable work ethic to match his finishing prowess.

“He’s been working hard for the team and doing the dirty work,” said Rashford. “You know, the unseen work. He does it so he deserves all the credit he gets.” The only regret for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the absence of a 75,000 crowd to marvel at the majestic goals and display, which stretched the Reds’ unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.

The East Stand would have gone wild for Greenwood’s first-half rocket, to cancel out Junior Stanislas’s opener, and Anthony Martial’s sublime 25-yard curler.

The Stretford End would have erupted for Greenwood’s breathtaking second and the technical brilliance of the fifth, a clinical free-kick from Bruno Fernandes, whose January arrival sparked United’s revival.

Rashford got in on the act, too, a first-half penalty taking his tally for the season to 20, the same as Martial.

Having missed two months with a back injury before lockdown, a first goal since January was a big boost for Rashford. “Firstly, I want to say how blessed I feel to be back healthy,” he said.

“I’ve had this injury in the past, but this time it was quite a bit worse. It was definitely difficult news to hear. So it’s a nice feeling to be back scoring goals.”

The only slight blemish for United was Eric Bailly needlessly conceding a penalty which Josh King converted.

But this was the first time United had scored five goals in the Premier League at home since 2011, proof they are on the right track under Solskjaer after such a turbulent time following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.

“This team has been progressing since the start of the season and the manager has helped us a lot,” added Rashford.

“He’s stuck with us in difficult times and we’ve listened and tried to take on board what he’s saying and what he wants us to deliver on the pitch.

“But there’s still a lot more work to do to be back challenging for the Premier League.”