Opinion: Why competition for Man Utd’s Sir Matt Busby Player-of-the-Year award is a good sign

Rashford himself was talismanic for the first half of 2019/20.

Our no.10 put Tottenham and Manchester City to the sword in the space of three days, belted a free-kick Roberto Carlos would be proud of past Chelsea and generally led the line brilliantly as the Reds battled injury and inconsistency early on.

The 22-year-old’s output may have slowed after lockdown as he recovered from January’s serious back injury, but he was still a key part in one of United’s best unbeaten runs for years – and, if you’re the type who takes into consideration what goes on off the pitch, who can forget his deeds in June, forcing the UK government into a U-turn on free school meals for underprivileged children?

We need to talk about Mason Greenwood too.
No one has won this award at the age of 18 – all-time greats Ronaldo and Rooney were 19 and 20 at the time of their first wins – but this precocious talent is in with a real chance, you’d have to say.

Mason played 49 games in all competitions, the second-highest tally in the squad, and became more and more important as the campaign wore on.

He graduated from 15-minute impactful cameos from the bench to moulding the shape of games from the off, battering goals past all-comers during a regal July that made him impossible for England manager Gareth Southgate to overlook when choosing his latest squad.