Pranav Kannan
Sevilla among clubs eyeing a summer move for Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood
What do we say about Mason Greenwood? Once the blue-eyed boy at Manchester United with the world at his feet, no one would have envisioned such a downfall in a matter of years. Greenwood was to the United fanbase in 2019 what Alejandro Garnacho is to them today.
The Manchester United fanbase has a penchant for young exciting attackers coming through the youth ranks and becoming huge superstars in the future. They absolutely adored Greenwood and gave him a lot of love and support.
After all, the stars seemed to be aligned to make Greenwood the poster boy of Old Trafford. 35 goals and 12 assists in 129 appearances for the first team meant that huge things were expected from the now 22-year-old.
(Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Enter January 2022. For reasons far away from the football pitch, the English prodigy was arrested and eventually provisionally suspended from playing football. More than a year later in February 2023, all charges were dropped due to the ‘withdrawal of key witnesses’.
Now, we are not here to debate over the sanctity of the verdict or make a judgement on Mason Greenwood. Ultimately, what stands is the fact that the criminal charges against him were dropped and that he was free to return to professional football.
The Manchester United forward was 21 years old back when the verdict came out and not surprisingly, the question arose: Will the Red Devils re-induct the talented forward into the first-team under Erik ten Hag? For very long, the club maintained absolute silence on this issue.
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Then came one of the most disappointing and honestly, baffling sagas of the summer. A month into being appointed as Manchester United’s chief executive, Richard Arnold claimed in an all-staff meeting
“Being here and working with United is not a job. It is an incredible feeling”
If someone had asked him about this statement following the summer saga surrounding Greenwood, we are not very sure the British accountant would have felt the same way. After all, such a delicate issue should have been handled in a better manner.
Manchester United had made the decision to bring back Greenwood. In fact, the Athletic claim that it had even been decided what kind of images they would take of the player in training sessions and how Erik ten Hag would handle questions surrounding him in the press.
(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Richard Arnold held a meeting with the club’s executive leadership in which he revealed the plan to bring back Greenwood. This eventually led to widespread backlash from the fans. Less than 72 hours later, the club performed a dramatic U-turn and revealed that the English youngster would not be continuing.
As ugly as the situation turned out, the next step for Manchester United was to find a potential suitor for Greenwood. After a lot of rumours and searching, it was eventually revealed that the 22-year-old would join La Liga club Getafe on loan for the entire season.
The Man United loanee was welcomed with open arms in the Spanish capital at Getafe and quickly won over the fans. He has also started playing football for the La Liga side and has managed to score a goal and provide an assist in just five appearances for the club.
(Credit: Getty Image)
According to the Sun, Getafe have been so impressed with the forward that they are already exploring the opportunity of keeping him at the club on a permanent basis. Mirror claims that Spanish rivals Sevilla have also shown some interest in the forward.
Greenwood has a contract with Manchester United that is set to expire in 2025. (Transfermarkt). It is widely believed that the Red Devils are still paying the majority of his £75,000 a week wages even when he is on loan in Spain.
If the Bradford-born forward can continue impressing for Getafe whilst on loan with them, it will make life much easier for the Red Devils when they try to offload him on a permanent basis next summer. Competition for Greenwood could also help the club get a decent transfer fee.
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Will Manchester United in the back of their mind be considering a return for Greenwood and a possible reintegration into the first team? Judging by how that decision played out this summer, we believe that the club would be wiser.
There is no denying Greenwood’s obvious potential. He has a bucketload of talent and with a keen eye for the goal, he will become a huge hit irrespective of where he continues playing his football. He can give the Red Devils an X-Factor in attack – a profile they are desperately missing. However, certain things in life are bigger than the game of football.
More Manchester United News-
- Manchester United target Adrien Rabiot hints at Juventus stay ahead of the European Championship
- Anthony Martial could leave Manchester United in the upcoming transfer window
- Manchester United legend David De Gea has congratulated his former teammate Bruno Fernandes for Portugal’s EURO 24 qualification.
In the quest for glory, have Manchester United traded their soul? As the echoes of past decisions linger, one can’t help but wonder – did they gamble it all away in pursuit of success last summer? To us, the devil is in the details but the answer remains shrouded in mystery.
