Roberto de Zerbi vows to make Mason Greenwood 'one of the greatest players to have played' for Marseille and explains why ex-Man Utd star has 'had difficult time lately'

Greenwood excelled right from the off after he joined the French side from Manchester United last summer. His goal in the 3-2 win against Toulouse on Sunday took his Ligue 1 goal tally to 16 in just 28 appearances, but the 23-year-old has faced criticism in recent weeks and there were reports of tension between him and De Zerbi.

De Zerbi, though, has reiterated his faith in Greenwood as he outlined his plan to turn him onto a true star for Marseille, saying his recent dip in form is understandable given the recent birth of his second child.

"Greenwood is a natural talent. All the credit goes to his mother and father. And I'm here to help him become more complete," the Italian coach told reporters. "When he needs a hug, a word of support, I gladly give it. And when I need to push him to give more, I have to do that too because that's my job.

"I would especially like to help him be remembered, in this stadium and by these supporters, as one of the greatest players to have played here at the Velodrome. There have been so many great players here, but I think Greenwood has the qualities to be remembered that way. And I'm trying to help him progress.

"He's had a bit of a difficult time lately because he had a daughter who was born and I also think he's not used to playing such an intense season and being one of the main players. I think he paid for it physically. That is to say, he wasn't pushing and wasn't 100 per cent like I wanted in training, in terms of what I expect from a player like him. If a player doesn't push in training and can't do it in matches either, it's right he stays on the bench."

After helping Marseille end their three-game losing run, Greenwood will hope to enhance his goal record further when they face Monaco this weekend.