Manchester United youngster Mason Greenwood names Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo Nazario as his idols

Manchester United youngster Mason Greenwood has named Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo Nazario as his two biggest idols as he looks to emulate them in the process of securing his place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad.

Greenwood hopes to match Rooney's goal-scoring capabilities

The 18-year-old forward, who averaged a goal per game in United's academy, made his way to the senior team this season, scoring his first competitive goal for the Red Devils in their 1-0 Europa League win over Astana in September. The teenager also made his full debut for England's Under 21s during their win over Albania on Friday.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail, Greenwood has revealed that he has always considered Rooney to be the player he wants to mirror despite not having witnessed his abilities first-hand. He also named Brazil icon Ronaldo as his idol alongside United's all-time top-scorer.

When asked about his idols, he said,

"It has to be Rooney. The Brazilian Ronaldo, too. They've always stood out for me and I've always looked up to them. Ronaldo was quite a while ago but my dad used to show me clips of him."

"Rooney is such a great goalscorer and that is what I want to be. You have to have a role model. I've never seen him, though. I've watched his games and the highlights on YouTube. Hopefully I'll get to meet him one day."

Greenwood will likely feature in England's friendly against Holland in Doetinchem today.