Manchester United Women would not be comfortable with a potential return to the club for Mason Greenwood, according to reports.
Greenwood was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in October 2022.
However, it was announced earlier in February that the charges would be dropped against him, with a Crown Prosecution Service statement citing the emergence of new material that made conviction no longer a reasonable expectation.
Greenwood, who has scored 35 goals in 129 matches for United since making his debut in March 2019, was suspended by the club on January 30 last year, shortly after his arrest by Greater Manchester Police.
And the Athletic are reporting that some players within the women’s team are ‘deeply uncomfortable’ with the prospect of a return for the player to the mens’ team.
The sentiment is shared by the men’s team, who are also thought to be uncomfortable with the idea of a return for the 21-year-old, with the squad fearing it could derail their progress.
Greenwood is technically able to play for United, as he has not been declared either guilty or not guilty of the charges which were dropped.
But it remains unclear whether the player will return to the Red Devils team, given that he was only suspended by the club in January with full pay.
And since the charges were dropped, Greenwood has kept the tags for Manchester United on his Instagram page – as well as links to his sponsor Nike who ended their connection with the player after his arrest.
Manchester United Women’s Supporters’ Club founder Natalie Burrell has spoken of how she does not wish to see Greenwood in the famous red shirt of Manchester United ever again.
Burrell also suggested that allowing the forward to come back into the fold would undo the work done by charities such as Her Game Too, which promote engagement in football for women.
‘I don’t think he should play again for Manchester United,’ Burrell said to the Athletic. ‘It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. They need to make a statement and letting him back would be the worst thing they could do.
‘It would set our club back in terms of what we’re trying to do with our women’s team and campaigns like Her Game Too, which are trying to encourage women to play and watch football.
‘I definitely don’t want him back and I’m confident they won’t, whether that’s through selling him in the summer I don’t know.
‘People just think they’re going to write it off (his contract runs until 2025 and has the option of another year) and maybe they will — that would be a real statement – but I’d be surprised. If they just sold him it’d be a good statement too.
‘I just don’t want to see him training. I don’t want to see him in a (United) kit. I don’t want to see him ever coming out at Old Trafford again.’
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
