Red Devils manager admits talented young stopper “still learning and maturing”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Dean Henderson received a call for an alert after a volatile display of Manchester United goalkeeper against Burnley.
United reduced the gap behind Premier League leaders Manchester City to eight points by beating Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, thanks to the imprisonment of Mason Greenwood and the efforts of Edinson Cavani.
Solskjaer’s team had to work hard for three points and almost found a goal after just 20 seconds, while Chris Wood rose above Henderson’s fluttering arms and headed home only to be denied an offside flag.
What was said?
Henderson was eventually penalized for failing to come out and pick a corner in the 50th minute, when James Tarkowski rose above United’s defense and hit his head in the moments of equalization after the opening of Greenwood.
Asked to assess the performance of the English international, Solskjaer told BBC Sport: “The first is a wake-up call for him, he’s a proactive keeper and luckily he’s been offside, so it’s another win, and Dean is still learning and maturing.”
The Norwegian added: “You never know [against Burnley], anything can happen in any field. Whenever they enter quality with their quality, your heart is in your mouth.
“We put some pressure, especially on the left, we wanted to do the right things and we achieved the goals we wanted.”
United is coming through the Burnley test
After a frustrating first 45 minutes of action, in which both teams struggled to create clear chances, United finally found a breakthrough right after the interval.
Greenwood made an expert finish after Marcus Rashford connected him, only for Tarkowski to straighten out the process soon after the restart.
However, the Red Devils should not have been denied as Greenwood caught his second with a lucky deflection in the 84th minute, before Cavani knocked the third home in stoppage time after being found by low cross Donny van de Beek.
What else did Solskjaer say?
Solskjaer especially praised Greenwood, who he believes has taken his game to a new level since the turn of the year.
“I am just happy for him [Mason Greenwood]. He mixes up his game. It enters inside and out, constantly maturing. It’s nice to see that, ”he said.
“He invested in the landfill and reaped the fruits. He was young last season and now he has had almost two seasons on the first team.
“Especially in the last three or four months, I’ve seen how mature he is on the field and he plays with maturity and understanding. He’s very creative, but he plays simply when he has to.”