Mason Greenwood is ready to resume his football career abroad should Manchester United decide not to keep him on at the club, it has been claimed.
The 21-year-old, who last played for United in a 1-0 win over West Ham in January 2022, saw all charges against him dropped on Thursday. This follows the forward's arrest last year and subsequent charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
A statement from the CPS read: “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. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case.
“We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police, and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met.”
Following that, Greenwood released a statement of his own: “I am relieved this matter is now over. I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support.”
United said that after learning of the CPS decision the club “will now conduct its own process before determining next steps”.
United manager Erik ten Hag was asked about Greenwood in his pre-match press conference on Friday but simply referred to the club's statement on the matter, saying: "In this moment, I can't give comment about the process. I can't say anything about it. I refer to the statement of the club and at this moment I can't add anything."
It has since been reported by The Guardian that the club's staff are split over the matter. While a large number of employees believe he shouldn't play another game for United, there are those who think a duty of care should be shown to a player who joined the club when he was seven.
The report further states that the club have contacted as many as 25 global partners to get a consensus on their thoughts over Greenwood's future. The striker lost a number of sponsorship deals following his arrest, such as Nike. It seems their input will be valuable when making a final decision.
Added to this, The Sun state Greenwood has 'begrudgingly' accepted United's stance after reportedly being furious with the club and feeling like they 'did not stand by him'. The report goes further by suggesting Greenwood would be happy to play in China should United not keep him on at the club.
A source said: “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 was included in United's squad despite the inquiry, although this is not an indication that he will return to action. Greenwood is still registered with the Premier League on a long list of Under-21 players - having also been included for the first part of the campaign, when he was on bail pending police investigations.
