Manchester United still haven’t announced a final decision on Mason Greenwood’s return but the reaction will definitely be fierce.
“Intense internal deliberation,” said Manchester United in a kind of press release. Mason Greenwood’s future is about more than that; It’s a situation with significant and potentially colossal implications, on and off the field.
It will affect and likely damage United’s reputation. It is likely to question its various sponsors about ending their relationship with the club. Surely his women’s team could provoke a backlash against the innocent players.
At some point it will be announced if Greenwood’s contract will be terminated or if he will return to United. The club said the “fact-finding” phase of its investigation into his conduct was complete and chief executive officer Richard Arnold would make the final decision. And yet one is convinced that the decision has been made and that Greenwood will stay.
This is a moral, business and football question. Even perhaps the biggest club in the world seemed ill-equipped to deal with an issue of this magnitude and sensitivity.
What Happened To Mason Greenwood?
The basic facts are that in January 2022, a disturbing note came from a voice purported to be Greenwood’s when a man attempted to impose himself on a woman.
Greenwood was subsequently arrested and later charged with attempted rape, assault, and controlling and coercive behavior.
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 as new material emerged and key witnesses retracted their involvement.
What Did Manchester United Do In Response?
Manchester United then launched its internal investigation. Greenwood has since continued to be suspended by the club and has been unable to play or train.
United can argue that a six-month investigation is a sign of how thorough it has been. They say they spoke to a lot of people and considered evidence that wasn’t publicly available.
However, completing the investigation may always have been a problematic part. Perhaps it would have been easier if it had been conducted in June, off-season.
Instead, it was mishandled. United had privately said they would announce their decision before the start of their campaign. There were constant delays.
Originally it was scheduled for August 4th, then it was said not to take place last Wednesday or Thursday, and then not on Friday either.
However, part of the process required United to communicate with what they call key stakeholders. These included sponsors and business partners, fan groups and their women’s team.
And the fact that some of the players are in Australia trying to win the World Cup seemed to have eluded United, leading to the assumption that the decision was in their hands and then unfortunately the inevitable abuse of social media.
With the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday and the players expected to have some time off before returning to United, that means the announcement may not come until September.
But with every step it seems more and more likely that they are trying to find an explanation for why Greenwood will return to the club. There is little doubt that keeping Greenwood would cause outrage, and not just outside of Old Trafford.
Will Manchester United Be Happy With Mason Greenwood’s Return?
Certainly some of the staff wouldn’t be happy and it would be entirely understandable if members of the women’s team weren’t either (the fact that United only fielded a women’s team in 2018 showed less commitment than many of their rivals).
Eight members of the men’s team have joined since Greenwood’s last game, but he is not believed to have been universally popular in the dressing room when he was there.
Meanwhile, there are other aspects to consider. The alleged victim cannot be named for legal reasons; Their anonymity is important, but it also means that the picture visible to the rest of the world is incomplete.
United are yet to release the results of their investigation. In a society where there should be some scope for penitent rehabilitation, one realization in particular should be crucial.
Is Greenwood sorry, or just sorry he got caught? He and United can argue that he has not been convicted of a criminal offense although that does not automatically make him an innocent man.
It can be said that he suffered the penalty by missing 18 months of his relatively short career. They would probably be right in concluding that virtually every other club would adopt Greenwood; As disgusting as this suggestion is, it is a reality in football.
Even a club as wealthy as United, who have annual revenues of around £600m and spend around £170m on transfers this summer, would be reluctant to let go of a footballer with the £100m worth of talent.
What’s With The Club Owners And Manager?
The Glazer family, rarely seemed to agree with what fans wanted. Manager Erik ten Hag has a side that scored very few goals in the league last season. Greenwood is United’s youngest goalscorer in Europe at just 21.
Only Norman Whiteside and George Best scored more goals for United as a teenager. Does it all matter? Many would say no. Judging from his character, that’s definitely not the case. But in football there is a double standard.
If a steward, crew member or press officer had behaved as Greenwood did, it would be an easy decision to fire him for gross misconduct. But footballers are treated differently and United wrestle with how to justify that.
