Manchester United 'to block Mason Greenwood from pre-season tour'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 07 March 2024

Man United 'to block Mason Greenwood from pre-season tour'

Manchester United reportedly intend to block Mason Greenwood from going on their pre-season tour following his return from a loan spell with Getafe.

Mason Greenwood will allegedly be blocked from going on Manchester United's pre-season tour once he returns from his loan spell at Getafe.

The one-cap England international has not played for the Red Devils since January 2022, shortly before his arrest on suspicion of rape and assault after a woman posted accusations on social media.

Greenwood was further arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and making threats to kill before being released on bail, by which time he had already been suspended by the Red Devils.

The forward was due to go on trial last November on charges of attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour, but the charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service due to witnesses withdrawing and new material coming to light.

Free to resume his playing career, Greenwood trained individually during the final months of the 2022-23 season, and Man United apparently received data from the sessions as they conducted an internal investigation.

Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood pictured in July 2021 © Reuters

Club chiefs apparently intended to bring Greenwood back to Old Trafford, but once news of their plans was leaked and led to enormous uproar, they reversed their decision and told the attacker that his time at the club was over.

However, Man United opted against terminating his contract - which expires in 2025 - and instead sent him on loan to Getafe, where he has come good on the field with eight goals and five assists from 26 matches across La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

Getafe do not have an option or obligation to make the 22-year-old's stay permanent, but he is believed to be happy in Spain and is supposedly being targeted by both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid for a summer move.

La Liga president Javier Tebas is keen to see Greenwood prolong his stay in Spain with Getafe, Atletico or Barca, and the 61-year-old may get his wish, according to a report from the Daily Star via The Mirror.

The publication states that Greenwood will be blocked from joining up with the Man United squad for their pre-season tour, suggesting that the Red Devils are leaning towards severing ties completely.

Manchester United's Mason Greenwood during the warm up before the match, December 8, 2021 © Reuters

When asked about the Englishman's future, new shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe - now in control of footballing operations - refused to rule out a return to the Theatre of Dreams for Greenwood, but club chiefs are worried that his presence in pre-season could negatively impact the team and sponsorship deals.

Ratcliffe's team are still expected to carry out their own review at the end of the season, but it would be a surprise to see Greenwood - who joined Man United as a schoolboy in 2007 - play for the club again.

Before his first arrest, the 22-year-old contributed 35 goals and 12 assists in 129 games for Man United, and he won his first senior England cap in a 1-0 Nations League win over Iceland in September 2020.

However, Greenwood and Manchester City's Phil Foden were then sent home by Gareth Southgate for a breach of COVID-19 rules, allegedly inviting two women to their team hotel.