Manchester United Stands by Mason Greenwood After Charges Dropped
David de Gea‘s contract talks with Manchester United are still ongoing, the club announced on Friday, after the Spanish custodian was not included on its list of players it would like to maintain for the upcoming season.
Four months after the attempted rape and assault charges against Mason Greenwood were dismissed, he was added to the list.
De Gea, who has been with the team since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011, could yet decide to stay there when he becomes a free agent this July.
United announced that talks with David about a potential new deal “remain open.”
De Gea’s place has been in doubt due to his inability to play out from the back with his feet, despite the fact that he won the Premier League Golden Glove for the most clean sheets last season.
This summer, United has been linked to a transfer for David Raya of Brentford because manager Erik ten Hag views that as a crucial quality for his goalies.
Despite being on the retained list, Greenwood’s future is still up in the air, just as it is for De Gea.
The 21-year-old striker hasn’t appeared for United since his arrest in January 2022 on charges of rape and assault.
Although all accusations against him were dismissed in February of this year, United is still investigating him internally.
Even though there have been rumors that he won’t ever play for the team again, his contract is still valid until 2025.
In February, United declared that it will “conduct its own process before determining the next steps.”
Other than his presence on the list of retained players, which was posted on the club’s website on Friday, there has been no other formal statement regarding Greenwood’s position.
When Greenwood first appeared on the scene in 2019 at the age of 17, he was hailed as a prodigy.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the previous manager of United, said in 2020, “He’s a special talent, a special kid that we are going to look after and try to develop into a top, top player.”
He was compared to United great Wayne Rooney because of his prolific goal-scoring, and he appeared destined to become an Old Trafford legend and future England hero.
All of that, however, came to an abrupt end when pictures and videos posted on social media resulted in his arrest and United’s subsequent suspension.
Sportswear behemoth Nike terminated its sponsorship agreement with Greenwood last year, stating that it was “deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations.”
The Crown Prosecution Service announced in February that the case against him had been dropped because “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction,” adding that it had a “duty to keep cases under continuous review.”
If Greenwood is permitted to play for the club, Ten Hag may view him as a potential replacement for the outgoing striker Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.
However, his career is still on hold while United’s internal procedure continues, and no timeline for its completion has been provided.