Roberto De Zerbi expecting Mason Greenwood to become one of 'greatest players in Europe' with Marseille boss keen to mould ex-Man Utd winger into next Kylian Mbappe

The 23-year-old had a superb debut season for Marseille in 2024-25, scoring 22 goals and bagging six assists in 36 appearances. Former Brighton head coach De Zerbi has a lot of faith in the ex-Manchester United man's ability but feels he needs to improve his pressing game to get to the level of Real Madrid's Mbappe, Barcelona's Raphinha, and Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele.

He said, via RMC Sport: "I expect him to become a complete player, like the greatest players in Europe. Yesterday, I saw a bit of Newcastle vs Barcelona. I saw Raphinha, who was pressing everyone in the last 20 minutes, with incredible determination. I also see Kylian Mbappe in Madrid, who was pressing everyone, Ousmane Dembélé in Paris too last year, we remember. I would like to help him, because it helps Marseille in general. I would like him to become a complete player, a team player. That is my job, it is not just individual work. The collective, you improve it by improving the individuals."

Despite him having an excellent campaign for the French giants, that did not stop De Zerbi from dropping Greenwood last season as he questioned his attitude and application. But the former Sassuolo boss clearly feels that his strategy is the best way to get the most out of him. He certainly looked undaunted when Greenwood's Marseille took on Mbappe's Madrid in their 2-1 Champions League loss in midweek.

The one-time England international will need to be at his best when De Zerbi's Marseille, who sit seventh in Ligue 1, host defending French champions and current league leaders PSG on Sunday evening.