"He needs to play" - Paul Parker believes Manchester United teammate is holding back Mason Greenwood

Former Manchester United full-back Paul Parker believes that Marcus Rashford’s increased gametime under Ralf Rangnick is impacting Mason Greenwood’s development as a striker.

Marcus Rashford has had more than his fair share of injury troubles in recent months. He missed 10 games towards the start of the season due to a shoulder injury and picked up a dead leg in the November 2nd draw against Atalanta. He also revealed in October that he had been playing for close to a year with back pain.

Rashford has been in poor goalscoring touch and looks to have lost his ability to beat men in recent weeks. He has still started the last four domestic fixtures for Manchester United and has just one assist to show for it.

On the other hand, Mason Greenwood’s only recent start came in the match against Young Boys, when he was picked in a squad full of young players. Parker believes the striker needs to be playing ahead of Marcus Rashford:

“He’s (Rashford) holding back Mason Greenwood. I think Greenwood needs a run in that team. He’s a young boy, and there are stories about him leaving. That might be drummed up by his agent. I still believe that when you have good young players, they need to play. Because otherwise they will lose their confidence.”

What is next for Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood amidst continued rumors of potential exit?

There is little doubt that Mason Greenwood has all the talent and then some more to become one of the best strikers in club football.

His finishing ability, two-footedness, pace, and the instinct to beat people belongs to a much older player. However, he was recently rumored to be frustrated due to Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival.

Manchester United are still in the race for Erling Haaland, who could potentially be the second superstar striker they bring in across successive summers. Greenwood will obviously be frustrated. He has shown enough talent to be rewarded with more gametime and opened the season with three goals in three matches.

Marcus Rashford’s return to fitness has arguably undeservedly reduced Greenwood's gametime. At the same time, Greenwood would want to focus on continuing to impress the new Manchester United manager. The striker scored a brilliant goal in his only start under the German and must wait for the opportunities.

Both Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial are expected to leave in the upcoming transfer window. Marcus Rashford will eventually either have to be dropped or be tried in a different position if he continues in the same vein.

Mason Greenwood’s best time at Manchester United is expected to come in the second half of the season. When that happens, he is expected to keep on improving.