Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi has said he ‘expects more’ of former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, whom he signed for the Ligue 1 side back in the summer
After his £26million move to Marseille, Mason Greenwood has quickly learned the harsh realities of failing to meet the high expectations that come with a hefty transfer fee.
The ex-Manchester United ace was hooked by boss Roberto De Zerbi earlier this season, with the Italian slamming Greenwood after a lacklustre showing against Paris Saint-Germain by making an example out of Greenwood. The 23-year-old’s absence in the second half of the October defeat was hardly shocking given his invisible act in the first, and despite his departure, Marseille still fell to a 3-0 loss to their Ligue 1 adversaries, reports the Express.
De Zerbi explained his decision for the substitution bluntly: “Because I didn’t like the way he played. If we want to compete for the title we have to push in all matches.”
“I think he was having a bad day. He [has given] us a lot of goals and points, but when you’re at Olympique Marseille, if you want to fight for the championship, you have to push in every match.
“You can’t say you’re [producing] a good performance by scoring two goals and then having a bad patch the next match. It’s not possible. He’s a good player, but I expected more from him tonight. But not only from him. I always expect more in general.”
Greenwood seems to have taken the tough love to heart, as in the months following that memorable night at Stade Velodrome, the Bradford-born forward started to hit his stride in France.
Following his debut, he went on to score in his next two matches against Nantes and Auxerre, including a last-minute winner in a crucial 2-1 victory over AS Monaco. He then found the back of the net in their 2-0 triumph over Saint-Etienne and scored again against the same team in a 4-0 French Cup win.
With an impressive tally of 11 goals in his first 16 appearances, only Didier Drogba had a better start at Marseille in terms of goal scoring. His streak of five goals in eight games even prompted a change of heart from De Zerbi, who acknowledged his improvement.
“He’s very committed and always gives everything he has. He’s a very strong player, and he makes the difference for Olympique Marseille,” he said following the victory against Nantes.
“I was surprised by Greenwood last week because he didn’t play well [in the 3-0 loss to PSG]. He was far from his standards. Tonight, I wasn’t surprised by Greenwood.”
His progress hasn’t gone unnoticed back in Manchester either. United stars Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot have been closely monitoring Greenwood’s progress and showed their support by ‘liking’ a recent Instagram post where he wrote: “Job done onto the next round.”
It’s clear that while Greenwood is flourishing in France, Ruben Amorim’s side are languishing in 14th place in the Premier League. His 10 goals in Ligue 1 surpass the combined total of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, although it could be argued that succeeding in England’s top flight is more challenging than in France.
Since his high-profile move six months ago, Greenwood has been keeping a low profile and focusing on his football, showing promising results for Marseille. This could potentially lead to a significant profit for them, as rumours are swirling that the striker is being eyed by Barcelona and Juventus.
However, a return to Old Trafford can be ruled out, as both parties have expressed their contentment with moving forward separately. After facing some challenges in France, including winning over his manager and critics, it appears Greenwood has finally found his footing post-United.