He's developing physically and transferring the game he had with the unders in accordance with that.
Greenwood has being playing as a boy against men and has had no choice but to adapt his game to be as a clean and distanced from any kind of physical entanglements because he couldn't outmuscle defenders and he didn't often challenge them for pace, but he's growing into his adult body now, which is showing in the power of his running, the close contact play where he's not worried about being buffeted and knocked off the ball nor is he thinking twice before selecting his next move. He's playing now in the same manner he did in the unders when matched against other unders.
What is so lethal with him is that ability to release the ball in half strides. Pass or shot, he gets off before the opposing player can get his feet sorted and make a better attempt to tackle. What this also means for Greenwood is that he can quickly condition his opponent who knows he has to shuffle his feet quickly and exploit a now off balance player. We'll see nutmegs and statuesque defenders who look like they've not even tried to tackle him because of this. In actuality, they've set their feet to try match a half stride and Mason has simply opted to go the other way. There are few players in the world who have this ability and most of them are the loftiest in the sport, who bring ridicule from some when such a young and relatively unproven player like Greenwood is mentioned as having similar traits.
I've said it before in a previous Greenwood thread that his upward trajectory will be dictated by his mind staying focused and his body not letting him down through injury etc. He has a skilset you can't teach and key attributes very, very few are blessed with: that half stride stuff is straight out of the copy book of the likes of Romario and Messi, for example. Van Persie is mentioned a lot in relation to Greenwood, but the way he strikes the ball early, in a half stride and hits to the inside of posts is, for me, most reminiscent of Romario who left defenders and keepers leaden-footed time and again whilst barely even getting the ball out from under him.
There should be lulls and a season is long, but Greenwood, for me, shows glimpses of a genuine world class player in the making. It's more the measure that when he puts his game together, just as in the unders, every action he takes is thought of and executed before most other players on the pitch have cottoned on. He's a very special, subtle talent in the making, one who's game is worthy of analysis for how deftly he does things and for how quick his mind is. That cliché about seeing the pitch quicker than others. He, Sancho, Bruno and Pogba should have some amazing combination play over the season as they all have a speed of thought and execution that opposing players will have to be special themselves to keep up with.
I think it's going to be very interesting to see what means are put in place to deal with our attackers as both a unit and in relation to their individual traits. Greenwood has to be kept touch-tight because of his early release ability, particularly with his shooting, but if you do that, he can roll you or run the man away from an area and create space for someone else. Marking zonally invites all kinds of pressure once the ball is being knocked around in and out of quadrants x or y is supposed to be picking his man up in.
If should be a fun and entertaining season for us as fans; we've got an attack that has it in them to rack up silly numbers like City do and Liverpool did. Each of our attackers have their own means to leave huge holes for someone else in the attack to exploit. Greenwood's attributes have the potential to be a huge component in that.