Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has vehemently denied that Mason Greenwood has punished through Manchester United for lack of timing and says he “can’t believe” recent stories about the young man’s obvious lack of professionalism.
Greenwood, 19, has left United’s last two groups for his travels to Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain and rumors circulate that the club has sanctioned the striker for his late training.
United’s head coach, Solskjaer, argued that Greenwood’s absence was due to minor injury and the Norwegian defended the teenager at his press convention on Friday morning.
The foreigner from England can return to the fold this weekend as the Red Devils prepare to meet Chelsea at Old Trafford.
When asked if Greenwood attracts negative attention and gets a “goal,” Solskjaer replied, “Who has a goal . . . Mason? Well, you do it when you play well.
‘I’m not involved in Mason getting a goal when he got here, played fantastically, played his first league game against Tottenham last season, brilliant and just started.
“Yes, he made a mistake this summer with England and all the English press is chasing him. And that’s something we have to deal with.
“He’s a fantastic kid to paint. I’ll have to disappoint you, he’s never been late for education. It’s never a challenge when you’re in the educational field. He’s on time. “
Solskjaer added: “I’ve noticed the stories, in fact some former United players are talking about it, they don’t know anything about what they’re talking about.
“We have photographers off the education floor every day so they can see it’s on time.
“I don’t know where those stories come from, I just have to say he has a smart circle of relatives behind him. He has a clever pleasure at the academy. He’s a smart coach, I can’t tell all those stories about him being nasty. “.
That’s what we have to deal with, a lot of other United players have.
Juan Mata has warned his United teammates that they will have to be able to play at their “best level” to beat his former club on Saturday night.
“It’s special for me to play against them. I still have a lot of friends there,” the Spaniard, who spent 3 years at Chelsea, told United’s official website.
“I know Frank, we were teammates. I know how smart he is as a coach and, of course, how smart he is as a player.
It will be complicated because they have wonderful new players on the team.
“They have a team, so many players can play and do it right.
“We have to make sure that we are in a position for this and that we are able to play at our most productive level, like the last two matches.
“If we play that way, I’m sure we’ll be about to win. “
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