With Mason Greenwood having joined Olympique Marseille last week, it is now claimed that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag had taken a surprising stance on the player's situation at the club.
Greenwood's situation has been widely publicised in the press, with the player having been arrested on charges of assault and attempted rape back in January 2022.
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The forward has not played a single game for United since, having been sent out on loan to Spanish club Getafe for the whole of last season after the Red Devils completed their own internal investigation following the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to drop the charges against him in February 2023.
The 22-year-old began rebuilding his career in the 2023/24 season in Spain, where he registered 10 goals and six assists in 36 appearances for Los Azulones.
His decent return to action was enough to get him a move to Marseille, who tied him down to a five-year contract worth €26 million (R516 million) last week.
Notably, some United players had returned for pre-season earlier this month, but Greenwood did not train with the team prior to his exit.
However, it is now claimed that the attacker would have been reunited with his teammates if it were up to Ten Hag.
According to The Athletic, the Dutch boss was willing to reintegrate Greenwood to his squad at Old Trafford, and play the striker before his eventual move to Ligue 1.
Ultimately, the decision was out of Ten Hag's hands, and it is further believed that had he been reinstated, the call would have been met with opposition by many around the club.
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Although there have been reports that some of United first-team players would have welcomed his return, it is said the club's women's team as well as its commercial partners were largely not on board with having him back at the club.