Mason Greenwood finds himself in the centre of a storm at Marseille, where it is claimed that Adrien Rabiot and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are refusing to play alongside him.
The attacker may be OM’s top scorer this season, but his attitude has come under fire in recent weeks, culminating in these astonishing claims that two of the club’s most senior players do not want anything to do with him.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Benatia says to La Provence. “People within the club are trying to sow discord.”
The claims come after Greenwood was given 1/10 for his performance against Monaco last weekend, with the paper stating: “As gifted as he can be – when he wants to be, and that’s increasingly rare – the former Man Utd player exasperates with his lack of seriousness.”
Greenwood claims addressed
Benatia, a former Bayern Munich and Juventus centre-back, was particularly referring to rumours claiming that former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Hojbjerg, one of OM’s best players this season, went to his office and told him to stop playing Luis Henrique, a rumoured transfer target for Arsenal, and Greenwood.
“Can you imagine?” Benatia responded when asked about the truth behind these claims. “He didn’t come to see me.
“And what’s more, do you think I need a player to tall me that?
At no point did they come to see me to dismiss Luis Henrique or Greenwood. The people who say that don’t want the best for OM
– Mehdi Benatia, Marseille’s sporting director
“Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of the most professional in the locker room, a guy who only wants to unite and carry everyone along with him, like Rabiot.
“Today, Adri is dying inside, he only wants one thing: to reach the Champions League. These two are truly two examples, and at no point did they come to see me to dismiss Luis Henrique or Greenwood. The people who say that don’t want the best for OM.”
While the Greenwood issue is a huge concern for Marseille, it is also cause for concern at Manchester United, who sold the attacker to OM last summer following the player’s legal problems. United sold him cheap at €26 million with the expectation of receiving a big cash injection thanks to a sell-on clause, yet the prospect of a big move in the summer looks slim for the England international, despite rumours the Saudi Pro League could launch a €90m bid.
Players united behind De Zerbi
Benatia also dismissed claims that there is a split in the dressing room fuelled by discontent over the tactics of head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
“When a coach reads in L’Equipe that he’s lost the dressing room, he’s devastated. It’s absolutely false,” the Marseille sporting director continued.
“He gives love to everyone, and even a little too much for my taste. I always tell the players, the staff, and the employees that I’m not here to make friends. I only want people who work hard for OM.”
Marseille face bottom side Montpellier at the Velodrome in Ligue 1 on Saturday in a match capital to their prospects of Champions League football next season.
