Rangnick’s Greenwood comments open door to Haaland deal

Robin Bairner

9 Dec 2021 05:04 CST
3 min read

Mason Greenwood playing in a pre-season friendly for Manchester United against Derby County — © ProShots

Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick seems to have opened the door for the club to sign Erling Haaland by indicating that the Dortmund striker is a different type of player to Mason Greenwood.

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Greenwood, who scored in the 1-1 Champions League draw with Young Boys on Wednesday, is considered a foundation stone of Man Utd’s future plans, having graduated through the academy to show great promise in the first team.

Haaland, meanwhile, is considered a future great, having made an electric start to his career at the top level of the game.

Could Haaland and Greenwood play together?

Doubts might have been cast about the pair’s ability to operate together in the same team – and thereby Man Utd’s prospects of signing the Norway star – but these have been dismissed by Rangnick, who is likely to step into a two-year consultancy role on recruitment at the end of this season.

He could, therefore, have a major say in terms of who the Old Trafford club target in the transfer market, and having worked with Haaland previously in the Bundesliga

And the implication is that Rangnick believes that the Dortmund hitman and Greenwood can work successfully in tandem.

“He's a massive talent. Left foot, right foot, good on the ball, also the way that he set up the goal for Fred on Sunday,” the interim boss said of Greenwood.

“Sill, it's about continuity, he has to develop physically but technically, for his age, he is a great player. My job is to develop him, to make an athlete out of him, and if he manages to do that can be a regular player for this club.

Erling, for me, is a target striker, who can play as a single striker like a target man or in a 4-4-2. I think Mason is more of a nine-and-a-half

- Ralf Rangnick

"Erling, for me, is a target striker, who can play as a single striker like a target man or in a 4-4-2. I think Mason is more of a nine-and-a-half, he can play as a striker, he can also come from the wing, he can play with another striker, he is very technical, left foot, right foot.”

Greenwood, who is coming back after a bout of Covid-19, has made a strong impression in Rangnick’s opening week, and the German seems open to the idea of one day pairing him with Haaland at Man Utd should the chance arise.