Mason Greenwood was on the scoresheet twice for Marseille in their 5-1 win over Nice on Friday night and the French media had their say on the ex-Man United striker
Mason Greenwood looks on
Mason Greenwood moved on to Marseille in 2024(Image: Soccrates Images, Getty Images)
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Ex-Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood has been praised by French journalists following his stellar display for Marseille against Nice in Ligue 1. Greenwood netted twice in a 5-1 victory on Friday evening.
His goals take his tally to nine and 10 league strikes respectively this campaign - putting him at the summit of the Ligue 1 Golden Boot standings. Ahead of the game he also took part in a rare interview.
La Parisien led with the headline: "Thanks to a brace from Greenwood, the Olympians sink the Aiglons and take over as leaders" whilst heaping acclaim on the 24-year-old.
They wrote: "The Englishman then scored Marseille's second goal himself with a right-footed shot deflected by Bard, who endured a very difficult first 45 minutes."
The publication continued: "The Dutch goalkeeper thwarted Terem Moffi, allowing Greenwood to finally seal the victory... the Englishman was ruthless: in the 53rd minute, he left Juma Bah for dead with a feint and a burst of speed before beating Yehvann Diouf with a perfectly placed, low, right-footed shot across goal (3-0)."
Elsewhere, GET Football awarded Greenwood an eight out of 10 in their match ratings. They said: "The Englishman provided a brace to become top scorer in the league with ten strikes.
"Whilst he had a quiet opening period, the former Manchester United man sprung into life when he found several pockets of space down the right side – especially on the counter attack."
They added: "His first goal was a deflected strike off Vanhoutte, but he was well-positioned to receive the ball and drive into the dangerous area on the left side. His second strike of the evening was more impressive: Leo Balerdi released him on the edge of the box, and Greenwood shifted his body well before releasing a low strike past Diouf."
Greenwood gave an interview before the match against Nice. Quizzed about his abilities and pressed on what he considers his finest move on the pitch, Greenwood responded: "The stepover."
Brazilian legend Ronaldo was then brought up by the interviewer, with Greenwood revealing: "I watched a lot of him when I was younger, he used to do it on the goalkeepers a lot, which is kind of crazy."
Mason Greenwood has spoken in a rare interview.
Mason Greenwood has spoken in a rare interview.
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In another section of the conversation, Greenwood revealed a method he employs to remain composed when facing scoring chances.
"The night before a game, I'm in bed and you're just visualising things in your head, moments on the pitch," he said. "And when I go out to warm up on the pitch, I like to visualise, maybe if I'm in certain situations I'll do this or do that, so when it comes to it it's second nature really, I can just do it straight away."
Discussing his ability to use either foot, Greenwood explained: "When you've got both feet, the defender sometimes likes to show you one way on to your weaker side or on to another side.
"Which I like, because if he's showing me or wants to push me, I'll take the opportunity because I can shoot on the right side. Or if he wants to show me to the left, I can take the opportunity on the left."
Since his move from United in the summer of 2024, Greenwood has been a standout performer for the French outfit. The Red Devils pocketed a cool £26.7million from the transfer, and cleverly included a sell-on clause that entitles them to half of any future fee Marseille receive for the player.
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