Sir Jim Ratcliffe to recall Greenwood to Man Utd? The state of play

Carlo Garganese

• 10 Jan 2024 16:21 GMT
• 3 min read

Mason Greenwood will not be returning to Manchester United in January, but it has not been completely ruled out that he could be part of the squad next season.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquirement of 25 per cent of the club means that he will now be in charge of transfer policy once the purchase is officially ratified in the coming weeks.

The January transfer window has come too soon for Ratcliffe to buy and sell players this month. This means that Greenwood will stay put on loan at Getafe until the end of the season.

But Ratcliffe and INEOS will get to work next month to begin planning the construction of the squad for the 2024-25 season.

One of his first major decisions will be to decide whether Greenwood will return to play for United.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Ratcliffe will not make a decision until later in the season at the earliest over whether Greenwood has a United future.

Greenwood joined Getafe on loan last summer after United concluded their investigation into the criminal charges he was facing last year, which have since been dropped.

United announced that Greenwood would look to continue his career away from Old Trafford, having not played a game since January 2022 following his arrest by police.

Man Utd investigation on Greenwood

The 22-year-old was initially earmarked by United for a return to the first team after an internal investigation by the club but these plans were shelved following a negative reaction to the speculation and Greenwood was eventually told to leave the club.

However, with his contract due to expire in 2025, United have never explicitly stated what the plans were for Greenwood upon his return from loan, with the club focusing on the immediate steps to continue his career rather than the long-term path.

Thus, the door is still not completely shut on a return to Man Utd - even if the bad PR from any possible return makes it difficult.

Greenwood has impressed for Getafe this season. He has scored five goals and got four assists in 17 games in all competitions.