The club are said to be split over the striker’s future
Mason Greenwood is reportedly ready to resume his football career abroad if Manchester United choose not to keep him at the club.
The 21-year-old, who last played for United in a 1-0 win over West Ham in January 2022, saw a string of charges against him dropped on Thursday.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) explained the charges – attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm – were dropped due to a “combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”.
In a statement the CPS said it meant “there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case.”
The Guardian has since reported the the club’s staff are split about Greenwood’s future. While many believe he shouldn’t play another game for United, some think a duty of care should be shown to a player who joined the club when he was seven.
The newspaper said the club had contacted as many as 25 global partners to get a consensus on Greenwood’s future.
The striker lost a number of sponsorship deals following his arrest, such as Nike.
The Sun, meanwhile, reported that Greenwood had “begrudgingly” accepted United’s stance after he was said to have been furious with the club for not standing by him.
The newspaper suggested Greenwood would be happy to play in China should United not keep him on.
A source said: “He said he would be happy to go and play in China as long as that meant he was getting paid well and was playing.
“His view may have softened over the last few months, but he was not happy at all.”
Greenwood is still registered with the Premier League on a long list of Under-21 players – having also been included for the first part of the campaign, when he was on bail pending police investigations.
Related links:
- Gary Neville responds to backlash after liking Mason Greenwood case tweet
- Mason Greenwood ordered to stay away from Manchester United indefinitely
- Mason Greenwood has all rape and assault charges against him dropped
