Manchester United Plc dismissed reports that the football club has made a decision on whether to bring 21-year-old Mason Greenwood back into the first team, insisting that the club’s chief executive will have the final say.
United, owned by the US-based Glazer family since 2005, launched an internal investigation earlier this year into the charges brought in October 2022 against Greenwood, which included attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behavior.
The footballer last appeared for the club in January 2022, before the police launched a probe into the player. Greenwood was subsequently arrested and released on bail a month later, before three charges against him were made public by the police that October, before the charges were ultimately dropped this February.
The club has been consulting supporters’ groups, sponsors and the women’s team as part of the process of deciding whether to reintegrate Greenwood into the club, according to newspaper reports.
A protest was organized outside the Old Trafford stadium by a group called Female Fans Against Greenwood’s Return ahead of the club’s first game of the season. The group was set up last week amid rumors that the player may return to the club.
In a statement on Wednesday, the club said its investigation began when the charges against Greenwood were dropped. “This has drawn on extensive evidence and context not in the public domain, and we have heard from numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case,” it said.
Sponsors have so far remained silent on the subject, with Chevrolet and Ecolab referring queries to the club when asked for comment.
“Our partnership with Manchester United doesn’t extend to team selection, and we believe in the management’s ability to make appropriate decisions. The partnership encompasses the team, the club and the global brand, and not one specific individual,” said a spokesperson for DHL.
The club’s owners have been fielding offers for the club in a drawn out process which has run for many months, with the bidding yet to have reached a conclusion.
