Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Mason Greenwood should not be judged on goals

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged fans not to focus on Mason Greenwood's goalscoring record, after the teenager bundled home just his second Premier League goal of the campaign to seal a 2-1 win over Brighton on Sunday.

Greenwood popped up with an 83rd-minute header to complete a comeback against Graham Potter's side, taking his tally for the season to six goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.

Those numbers feel somewhat underwhelming for a talent like Greenwood, who bagged 19 in his breakthrough season last year, but Solskjaer insisted the 19-year-old's game revolves around far more than just scoring goals.

"When he gets those goals, we know he's going to add another dimension to his game," said Solskjaer (via BBC Sport). "The world nowadays is so on to stats and this and that.

"The boy has played fantastically [during] the last two or three months and has really come on. If he keeps learning and improving he will score more - he's a lethal finisher."

Solskjaer was all too happy to praise Greenwood later on as well, admitting that learning from Edinson Cavani has helped the teenager develop his game.

“He's coming good at the right time," the boss continued (via United's official website). "We've said it for months really, he's played some great football, he's maturing.

"Today I thought he was one of our best performers in the first half. Neat and tidy, he got hold of the ball. Sometimes he had a change of pace, he drove past people, he hit the post. He hit one that goes over the bar which was a bit scuffed, but he was there, he's always there.

“He has learned from [Cavani]! And of course it's important when Edinson is here now, he's not going to play football forever, but the traits, his movement, Mason has probably picked up. Mason needs to add goals like that to his tally, because we know what a wonderful talent he is. He played really well tonight and when he can add those goals, we know we've got a top forward there.”

The victory over Brighton handed United an enormous boost in their quest to wrap up a spot in the top four.

The Red Devils remain second in the table, and with Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester all dropping points this weekend, United now boast a nine-point safety net in the race to secure Champions League football next year.

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