Quick overview:
Ex-Manchester United star Mason Greenwood scored his first goal in four matches for Marseille on Sunday
Mason Greenwood hit back at talk surrounding his work-rate and Marseille future after he scored a wonder goal during his side’s 3-2 win over Toulouse on Sunday. The former Manchester United forward had been subject to criticism about his effort, productiveness in training and during matches.
According to French publication La Provence Greenwood’s Marseille teammates were left frustrated by his lack of hard work, with a source being quoted as saying: “His team-mates are tired of waiting for the stroke of genius. They’re making the effort, and they need to see him put on his overalls.”
It came a matter of weeks after Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi said he expected better from Greenwood, claiming he has to be “more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined”.
Rumours had then surfaced claiming that Marseille could sell Greenwood this summer – as they are not keen on keeping players who do not work hard for the club. The Ligue 1 side signed Greenwood for £27.5million from United last summer but reportedly wouldn’t hesitate on cashing in at the end of the season.
Greenwood, who had started successive matches against Lens and Paris Saint-Germain on the bench before the international break, returned to the XI to face Reims. Although Greenwood struggled and was handed a brutal TWO rating by L’Equipe, he retained his place in the side for the game against Toulouse.
And Greenwood proved his doubters wrong by producing a much more efficient performance and scoring a sensational goal to help his Marseille side to a much-needed win.
With the score-line locked at 1-1, Greenwood manufactured a moment of brilliance to put Marseille ahead. In the 57th minute, the 23-year-old received the ball around 35-yards from goal, took a couple of touches before unleashing a piledriver with his weaker right foot which flew into the top corner.
It was a magical strike from Greenwood, who only had one thing in his mind and that was to shoot from distance, and he managed to fire a dipping ball beyond the Toulouse goalkeeper, who stood no chance.
Greenwood celebrated by jumping over the advertising board and lifting the arms in the air towards the Marseille fans behind the goal at Stade Velodrome. It looked as though it was a massive weight lifted off Greenwood’s shoulders after the criticism he had faced for a number of months.
Despite this, Greenwood is still Ligue 1’s second top scorer this season. He now has 16 goals and three assists in 28 matches in France’s top-tier, and only Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain has scored more (21).
He will be looking to cement his place in second spot when Marseille return to action in a crunch clash against Champions League qualification rivals Monaco on Saturday. They sit two points above Monaco in third as the two sides prepare to go head-to-head this weekend.
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Published: 2025-04-07 10:00:00 | Author: [email protected] (Kieran King) | Source: MEN – Sport
Link: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
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