Mason Greenwood was savaged by L'Equipe after failing to impress from the bench as Marseille were beaten at home against Lens
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Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood
Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood
(Image: Getty Images)
Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood was benched for the first time this season during Marseille's shock 1-0 defeat against Lens on Saturday.
The 22-year-old has been in fine form for the Ligue 1 side since his £26.7million move from United last summer, scoring 16 goals and adding three assists in 27 appearances this season.
However, Greenwood had an evening to forget against Lens. He was dropped to the bench by Roberto De Zerbi because he had not felt 100 percent before the game but was needed at half-time as Marseille looked to respond following a disappointing performance in the first period.
Greenwood replaced Amar Dedic for the second half at Stade Velodrome but failed to make an impact. In fact, the one-cap England international was a shadow of himself and struggled. During his time on the pitch, Greenwood had just two shots, failed to complete a key pass and looked off it.
French newspaper L'Equipe picked up on the forward's poor showing and gave him a TWO out of ten rating. The publication are often harsh when it comes to their post-match assessment, and Greenwood got the brunt of it as he failed to help Marseille during their surprise loss against Will Still's Lens.
Neil El Aynaoui scored the winner for Lens in the 94th minute to condemn Marseille to their sixth league defeat of the season. They remain second, a mammoth 16 points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Greenwood may need to attempt to win over De Zerbi after his performance against Lens and criticism from the ex-Brighton boss before the game. In his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi hit out at Greenwood for his work rate and called for him to do more.
"I wanted him here, I said it over and over again," De Zerbi said, reflecting on Greenwood's arrival last summer. "He was the first player I contacted, even before I signed for OM. I had already spoken to his father. No one can have more respect for him than I do.
"But that doesn't change anything: I expect more from him. He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough. If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.
"Otherwise, we as a team always fall back into the same pattern: a very good match, then a defeat at Auxerre, then a victory against Nantes… It's too irregular, it's like waves. And that's something I don't like."