China crisis! Greenwood plots shock transfer as Man Utd ‘split’ on return

Robin Bairner

• 4 Feb 2023 11:48 GMT
• 2 min read

Mason Greenwood may have seen the recent charges filed against him dropped by the police, but his future at Manchester United continues to hang in the balance.

Greenwood faced charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm but it was announced on Thursday that these had been dropped following the “withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light” which meant there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

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The 21-year-old striker reacted with his own statement that said: “I am relieved this matter is now over. I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support.”

Manchester United, meanwhile, acknowledged the CPS’ decision but announced: “The club will now conduct its own process before determining next steps. We will not make any further comment until that process is complete.”

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Man Utd 'split' over Greenwood return

According to a report in the Guardian, Man Utd officials are “split” as to whether Greenwood should represent the club again. The paper suggests that the decision may be tipped by sponsors, with the Red Devils having contacted 25 global partners to gauge their opinion on the matter after the player lost a number of deals upon news of his arrest.

On top of this, The Sun reports that Greenwood has had an exit route from the club plotted out after “begrudgingly” accepting the Old Trafford’s side decision.

An unnamed source says: “He said he would be happy to go and play in China as long as that meant he was getting paid well and was playing. His view may have softened over the last few months, but he was not happy at all.”

Greenwood remains registered with the Premier League as a Manchester United player, on a long list of U21 players, and was during the first half of the season, when he was on bail pending police investigation.