Mason Greenwood may have a Manchester United future.
The England striker was suspended in January 2022 after he was arrested on suspicion of raping and assaulting a woman.
Greenwood was subsequently charged with a number of offences which were then dropped – and he was sent to Spanish side Getafe on loan until the end of the season in September following a United probe into his behaviour.
It had been understood that academy product Greenwood would not play for United again.
However, speaking for the first time since his 25 per cent stake in Manchester United was ratified, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Mason Greenwood hasn’t played for Man United since January 2022 after being arrested on suspicion of a number of offences, including attempted rape. The charges were dropped last year
New United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has left the door open for Greenwood to return to the club this summer, despite backlash from fans when this was contemplated last year
The 22-year-old forward is currently on a season-long loan at LaLiga club Getafe
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With regards to on the field matters, United have strongly suggested Greenwood would never play for them again. However, Ratcliffe had a different stance.
‘It’s a fresh decision,’ he said.
‘I can talk about the principle. I am not going to talk about Mason. I am familiar with it. The principle is the important one. We will have other issues going forwards.
‘You are dealing with young people who have not always been brought up I then best circumstances, who have a lot of money and they don’t always have the guidance they should have.
‘What we need to do when have issues like that is understand real affects not the hype then we need to make a fair decision in the light of the club’s values. That’s what we need to do and that’s how we will deal with it.’
Ratcliffe also told the BBC: ‘We need to look at facts, judge fairly and take into consideration what the values of the club are. Then we come out of that with a decision. It is not appropriate for me to comment on Mason Greenwood.’
Manchester United had acted swiftly to suspend the player on the day he was arrested in January 2022 — hours after deeply disturbing images and audio were posted online.
United put their faith in the justice system. But a year later came the news that there would be no trial, no judge, no jury and most importantly no verdict. In the eyes of the law, the 21-year-old was an innocent man, but it would be left to the club to make the call. The ball was back in their court — and not many had seen it coming.
United then launched their own investigation and said Greenwood would remain unavailable for selection until it had concluded.
The crux of the club’s investigation was ultimately to decipher what had actually happened
The responsibility was to lie on the shoulders of chief executive Richard Arnold. He enlisted the help of a number of senior executives, who included legal counsel Patrick Stewart, football director John Murtough, chief operating officer Collette Roche and communications chief Ellie Norman.
The aim was to complete the investigation ahead of the new season and thus provide clarity to manager Erik ten Hag, who was keen to plan for the forthcoming campaign. The probe took place independent of the takeover saga, which remains ongoing. Although this was a huge issue to be dealt with, there was to be no input from the interested parties.
The crux of the investigation was to decipher what had actually happened. Although the alleged victim declined to co-operate — as she had eventually done with the Crown Prosecution Service — her mother spoke to United with her blessing. Later in the process, when United had drafted their findings, both were given the opportunity to comment or correct any of what the club believed were the facts of the matter. No such clarification was forthcoming.
United were quick to establish that the social media content that triggered Greenwood’s arrest — a mixture of photographs and harrowing audio clips — was posted in the early hours of the morning after the striker had ended his relationship with the alleged victim.
United asked for — and were given — explanations behind those posts and were satisfied that no physical abuse took place, a finding that was not disputed by the alleged victim’s family.
They also found that Greenwood had not subjected the woman to coercive control, following conversations with her mother, and that the audio clip was an excerpt from a lengthier exchange.
They say they cannot share that additional footage. Police arrested Greenwood later on the day the content was posted, but United’s review found that they had acted after being made aware of the posts, and not following a complaint from the alleged victim.
United then examined Greenwood’s behaviour with the police following his arrest and found that he handed over his devices and passwords so officers could fully examine them. In April of last year, around three months after Greenwood’s arrest, the alleged victim withdrew both her allegations and her support of the investigation.
However, in October, the CPS charged Greenwood with attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour.
