Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

MASON DREAM

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

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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.”

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