Honestly, I’ve been watching youth football for a long, long time and I still find it difficult to tell who’s got a chance of making it at U18/U21 level. Greenwood’s pretty much the only sure thing I’ve seen in the last 10 years or so.
It's better to just say that the elite talents in our system have a chance. If not elite, I likely don't believe they have much of a chance.
My personal reservations are around him drifting in and out of games, bit like Angel Gomes. Supremely talented but games did seem to pass him by, when he did get involved he was excellent. In the modern game proactiveness is rewarded, be it from demanding the ball deep or from counter pressing.
I never thought Gomes drifted in and out of games. His production for an attacker was great, it's just that he often had to step next to the CBs in order for the team to bring the ball out from the back.
I thought he did drift out of games during his initial step ups to the u18 (as a 15 year old), and to the u23s (as a 16 year old). But that's completely normal considering his age respective to the level. As a 16 year old, and as a 17 year old (after injury-u17World Cup), he did really well in the u18 and u23s.
So any problem was more so his teammates lack of quality by being unable to resist a press, or pass through lines. Something he was able to do.
Another key component was Sbragia being in charge of the u23s from 2017-2019.