Mason Greenwood opens up on decision to wear iconic Man Utd no.11 shirt

Mason Greenwood has explained the reasons behind his choice to adopt the famous no.11 shirt at Manchester United.
 
The teenager burst onto the first-team scene in the second half of the 2018/19 season, and made his debut in our incredible 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16.
 
Initially, Mason wore no.54, before switching to no.26 for 2019/20 – a breakthrough campaign which yielded 17 goals in all competitions.
 
Then, before the start of 2020/21, it was announced that Greenwood would switch to no.11 – a number heavily associated with iconic club greats like Ryan Giggs and George Best.
 
And when asked about his shirt number in our fan Q&A, via a question submitted by Ilham W from Indonesia, the Bradford-born forward admitted Welshman Giggs had played a part in his thinking.
 
“It’s a great and an iconic number at Manchester United. That’s one of the reasons why I picked it,” began Greenwood.
 
“I’m so proud to wear the shirt. Obviously, you’ve got so many players down the line, like Ryan Giggs who has worn it for many years. 
 
“It’s a big ask to wear that shirt, following in the footsteps. It’s a challenge I’ll take on and hopefully do my best.”
 
Giggs is, of course, the club’s record appearance-maker of all time, having featured in an astounding 963 games since making his debut in 1991.
 
Greenwood has some way to go to match that, of course. But, interestingly, the youngster has played in more matches and scored more goals during his first three campaigns than Ryan managed.
 
Giggs played 99 times in 1990/91, 1991/92 and 1992/93, scoring 19 goals. Mason has 105 appearances across 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21, with 29 goals. 
 
Of course, the 13-time Premier League winner played until he was 40, which enabled him to rack up such mind-bending stats. But that Greenwood’s early first-team figures are at this stage comparable with greats like Ryan Giggs speaks volumes.