Wayne Rooney watched on as Birmingham City suffered a 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in his opening game as manager of Cody Drameh’s loan club – and Charlie Cresswell has praised Sam Greenwood.
Rooney, perhaps controversially, took over from John Eustace during the October break as he embarks on his second managerial spell in English football. It comes after a stint with Mateusz Klich’s DC United.
His first game, a tough trip to in-form Middlesbrough against old teammate Michael Carrick. It looked as though Rooney was going to take a point and a clean sheet at The Riverside – until the 88th minute.
Morgan Rogers came off the bench – having replaced Leeds man Greenwood on the left wing – to score the game’s only goal. Drameh and Rooney despair, as Greenwood helps secure another Boro victory.
Boro’s return to form has coincided with Greenwood starting matches. Five wins in a row and the Leeds talent has started the last three – scoring in a huge 4-0 win over Sunderland. He posted on Instagram.
Cresswell praises Greenwood as Leeds star helps beat Rooney
Greenwood continues to shine for Middlesbrough after a tricky start in which he struggled to break his way into the starting XI. Under Carrick, the versatile ace has been playing from the left side of midfield.
Certainly, in his last two games. The England U21 man has largely played as a central midfielder, or a no.10 while at Leeds. That is after coming through the reserves as a striker, scoring 22 in 43 U21 games.
So, £3m Greenwood has been excellent. He won three free-kicks on Saturday and produced a key pass, as per WhoScored. He earned praise from Lew Bate and Cresswell on his Instagram post, for his outing.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
