Mason Greenwood names Manchester United legend as footballing idol

Mason Greenwood has named Manchester United’s top goalscorer of all time Wayne Rooney as his footballing idol.

The 18-year-old also revealed that he has never actually met Rooney, who will join Championship side Derby County as a player-coach in January.

Rooney is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in United history, despite not being adored by all of the Old Trafford faithful.

He won five Premier League titles and the Champions League in his thirteen year spell at the club, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s goal record with a total of 253.

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“It has to be Rooney,” Greenwood told the Daily Mail, when asked about his role model in football.

“The Brazilian Ronaldo, too. They’ve always stood out for me and I’ve always looked up to them. Ronaldo was quite a while ago but my dad used to show me clips of him.

“Rooney is such a great goalscorer and that is what I want to be. You have to have a role model. I’ve never seen him, though. I’ve watched his games and the highlights on YouTube. Hopefully I’ll get to meet him one day.”

It’s no surprise that Greenwood would pick someone like Rooney to look up to on the football pitch, having grown up watching the forward scoring goals for the Reds.

Greenwood will be hoping in many ways that he can emulate the career Rooney had at Old Trafford. Like the former England international, Greenwood has risen to prominence at a very young age and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is well aware of the teenager’s talents.

The United boss has already described Greenwood as the most natural finisher at the club, but is not yet rushing him into regular action in the Premier League.

The Reds face a trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United on Sunday and we expect Solskjaer to start Greenwood on the substitutes bench.

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