Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he had his picture taken with Mason Greenwood when he was just seven - because he knew then he was so good.
Solskjaer first met Greenwood at The Cliff - United's former training base - when he took his son Noah there for a training session in 2008.
Solskjaer, who was then United’s reserve team boss, saw the teenage striker’s talent straight away and asked the youngster's dad to have his picture taken with him.
“Mason, I actually do remember when I met him for the first time because my son was training at The Cliff as an eight-year-old,” said the United boss.
“Mason was seven. The first time I saw him he stood out and I took a picture with him. I asked him because I knew he was going to be a player. He’s probably got it or his dad has probably got it.
“His dad mentioned it to me and remembered him because I remember talking to Noah about it.”
Greenwood, 18, scored his first double for United against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night and he is the latest talent to roll off their fabled production line.
Sunday’s match against Everton will be the 4,000th consecutive game United will have played a home-grown player, stretching all the way back to 1937.
During that time United have brought through world-class talents such as the Busby Babes, George Best and the Class of ‘92 and Solskjaer claims believing in youth is part of their DNA.
“It’s something we’re proud of, it’s in our DNA,” he said. “This club is built on having your own local lads or academy players coming through.
“We pride ourselves on that. You can see today, the academy players know what it means.
“They’re good people, that’s the first thing. They’re great people, everyone that goes through this academy, and they are good players as well. They know what it takes to be a Man United player.”
