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Manchester United still may not have closed the door completely on a return for Mason Greenwood, according to a new report.
The 22 year old recently completed a €23.6 million plus €8m transfer to Ligue 1 club Marseille having spent the previous season on loan at Getafe in Spain.
Greenwood was one of United’s brightest young talents before being involved in claims of assault and attempted rape that led to him being arrested and charged by the Greater Manchester Police.
The case was subsequently dropped after a key witness withdrew, but many who had seen the images of the bruised woman and heard the recording of what Greenwood said to her, believed they had seen enough to be convinced his behaviour was heinous and that he should never play for the club again.
United finally ended their relationship with the player by accepting a bid of less than half his highest market value of €50 million, reached in 2020 (source: transfermarkt.com). 20% of this lowly amount was awarded to Getafe as part of last season’s loan agreement.
However, the Red Devils included a 50% sell-on clause in the hopes of retrieving some of Greenwood’s value in the future and according to The Telegraph’s James Ducker, they also included a key clause that allows them to buy the player back at a reduced amount should they wish to.
“These [buy-back options] are fairly routine nowadays where the sale of academy graduates or young talents are concerned but, given Greenwood’s history, the decision to include a buy-back clause could be perceived as somewhat contentious,” Ducker writes.
“Nonetheless, … there is no expectation or intention of Greenwood coming back in the future and that, if the clause does signify the door remains ajar for the player down the line, it is very much the slimmest of cracks. The prospect of it being activated is considered very low.”
Whether it is low or not, the fact that United chose to include such a clause is in itself likely to draw criticism from those who want Greenwood’s actions to be roundly condemned by the club.
The transfer was an opportunity to draw a line under the whole sorry affair and make a definitive statement about the club’s intolerance to behaviour of the alleged nature.
Ducker reports that the action group Female Fans Against Greenwood’s Return said they felt “relief that this grim period in our history is over and that survivors of abuse won’t have to face a reminder of their darkest experiences while watching United play”.
“But they also voiced their ‘sadness at seeing a generational talent who could have achieved so much at the club lost because his moral fortitude off the pitch didn’t match his talent on it’,” Ducker notes.
What the group thinks about the buy-back clause is, as yet, unknown.
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