Manchester United officially announced on Monday that after half a year of investigation, the club has determined that the evidence shows that Mason Greenwood made a big mistake and needs to pay for it. Therefore, all parties reached a consensus that Greenwood is not suitable to play for Manchester United this season, and he will find his next home next.
This decision came from the club president Richard Arnold. The British media generally agreed that he changed his original decision within 72 hours. Greenwood changed from working hard to prepare for his comeback to hastily preparing for a transfer.
As early as the beginning of this month, the Manchester United giants had notified internal staff that Greenwood would return, but it was delayed for some reason. Final plans were leaked, sparking opposition and the Red Devils changed their minds and dropped the 21-year-old England striker.
In February last year, less than a month into his tenure as United president, Alexander-Arnold spoke at an all-staff meeting at Old Trafford. He played a video clip of the team's goals and success on the field over the years, before urging staff to "stand on the shoulders of giants and continue their legacy". "Working at Manchester United is not a job," said Alexander-Arnold, "it's an unbelievable feeling."
Over the past week, Alexander-Arnold has clearly felt an extraordinary part of working at Manchester United. Alas, it was not a good feeling and the club's grip on the Greenwood affair was severely derailed within 72 hours of a humbling and painful period. United had originally decided to bring Greenwood back, but reversed their decision and announced on Monday that he would not be returning to the team.
"CAB도메인" reported that as of last Wednesday, Manchester United's plan was to bring Greenwood back. On Thursday and Friday mornings, club executives took the time to explain the choice to staff, but some considered resigning or going on strike in protest. Insiders were outraged by the management's choice of direction, and at the same time, the club's public opinion survey also found that there was a change in the reaction of online fans.
Manchester United has done a lot of preparations for Greenwood's return, including evaluating the external reaction. People are divided into three categories: support, openness or opposition. Manchester United also made a lot of preparations, releasing various warm-up news through the British media, including sponsor Adidas supporting Greenwood's return, and partner football games to put him back into the squad.
However, when Greenwood was really close to making a comeback, the wave of opposition exceeded expectations. By Friday afternoon, United's season ticket holders, female fans, supporter groups, female stars, MPs and even charities had expressed strong opposition, forcing Arnold to rethink.
That evening, United's top decision-makers convened a crisis meeting. They ditched Greenwood's return plan and instead discussed whether to loan or sell, and even mentioned the termination of the contract, but this will cause legal troubles. Finally, the club confirmed on Monday that they will cooperate with Greenwood to let him play in the United States. Continuing his career elsewhere, the club have also stressed that they do not believe Greenwood will be able to represent United again in the future after being loaned out.
Loaning Greenwood, who was widely regarded as one of the best young strikers in English football until his arrest in January 2022, would allow United to retain commercial control. If he can restore his value on the pitch, the club will further sell him. Of course, in theory, Manchester United can also change their decision to re-enable him in the future, but the club insists that this result will not happen.
Greenwood's ending eventually took a U-turn, and the public pressure surrounding the decision was too much for the club's senior management to bear. Arnold said his views changed as the process progressed and claimed he had been considering various factors and perspectives before making a final decision.
One wonders whether United were forced to change their minds due to external pressure, or whether Alexander-Arnold realized that his original decision was wrong. The truth may be the first one. Manchester United is a commercial club and must pay attention to reputation, which is directly related to goodwill.
From the competitive level, Manchester United, which only scored one goal in two rounds this season, needs Greenwood. Ten Hag is suffering from the fact that no one can send the ball into the net. Greenwood's shooting is one of the best in the team. People in the football department, including director John Murtaugh, mostly support Greenwood's return. However, the club now believes that although his return can bring benefits in terms of tactics, the other consequences caused by it will have a greater negative impact.
Manchester United issued a statement on Monday stating: "Everyone, including Mason, is aware that it will be too difficult for him to restart his career at Manchester United. Therefore, both parties believe that it is most appropriate for him to leave Old Trafford. We Will now work with Mason to make that happen."
Greenwood was arrested on January 30, 2022, when some controversial audio and pictures appeared on social media. It was 48 hours before Trent Alexander-Arnold replaced Ed Woodward as Manchester United's number one.
Greenwood has not played for United since then, but his contract with the club does not expire until 2025, with the club having the option to extend his contract for a further year. His weekly salary is around £75,000, and Manchester United has been paying all of his salary, spending more than £6m so far.
United have procrastinated on making a decision on Greenwood, probably because they also know that the return of such a controversial player to the team will bring controversy whenever possible. It can even be said to be a wrong choice, but like many fans, they are not willing to give up Greenwood's football talent. But it turns out that there may not be an "ideal time" in the world for the star suspected of domestic violence to return to the court.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has blasted the way the club has handled the matter, saying it shows a lack of strong and authoritative management. United ended up not enjoying the sporting benefits of Greenwood's return, nor the moral cachet of dropping a tainted player. They hesitated between the two, and ended up being double-criticized.
"United made the right decision in the end and I think it was clear to anyone who saw the evidence on the internet from day one that he shouldn't be playing for United anymore," Neville said on Sky Sports. The process of reaching conclusions was pretty bad. Man Utd need strong and authoritative management when they are faced with big situations where these kinds of difficult decisions need to be made, and Man Utd just don't have that. Next time they should look for a third party to help because Man Utd didn't handle the situation skills and abilities that go well beyond their experience and capabilities.”
Now, Manchester United has only 10 days to sell or rent Greenwood. The British "Sun" stated that former Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho's Roma and Serie A's AC Milan, Juventus and other clubs had asked about Greenwood's situation.
The latest rumors are that the Saudi Arabian side are also interested in him, and the league's director of football Michael Emenalo is in charge of the operation. Gerrard's Itifak may offer a £10 million contract to buy Greenwood from Manchester United and offer him a contract with an annual salary of £10 million. The team signed England international Jordan Henderson this summer, with a weekly salary of up to 700,000 pounds.
Another club that may become Greenwood's next home is the Turkish Super League defending champion Galatasaray. The team has Manchester United veteran Wilfried Zaha, as well as Ziyech from Chelsea. The Celtics of the Soviet Super League have also entered the legendary list. The team is coached by former Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers.