Why did Man Utd break up with Greenwood?

When the English striker was arrested on January 30, 2022, Man Utd acted quickly. They announced the suspension of Greenwood. A few hours earlier, pictures and videos related to him assaulting his girlfriend were circulated on social media.

On February 3 of this year, the Royal Prosecution Service (CPS) stopped criminal proceedings related to Greenwood. The seemingly tumultuous case ended with no trial, no judge, no jury, and most importantly, no verdict. Under English law, Greenwood is innocent, and the future of the 21-year-old striker is entirely up to Man Utd's decision.

"The ball returned to the field of Man Utd, and not many people expected this scenario," British newspaper Sportmail commented.

Man Utd then opened its own investigation and announced that it would still ban Greenwood until there were results. The responsibility rests on CEO Richard Arnold, and he is assisted by a number of senior leaders, including legal counsel Patrick Stewart, Director of Football John Murtough, Chief Executive Officer Collette Roche and Chief Communications Officer Ellie Norman.

Man Utd want to complete the investigation before the new season, thereby helping coach Erik ten Hag know whether to use Greenwood or not, and avoid difficult questions in press conferences. But yesterday, August 21, when the internal investigation had no results, the club announced the farewell to Greenwood.

Man Utd quickly determined that social media content sparked Greenwood's arrest. They are photos of a woman suffering multiple injuries and heartbreaking audio, posted early in the morning after the striker ended his relationship with Robson. In it, a picture of the woman with blood coming out of her mouth was posted with the caption: "For those who want to know what Mason Greenwood really did to me." An audio file was also posted, in which a male voice can be heard trying to coerce a panicked woman into having sex with him.

Man Utd have requested and been explained about those posts. They would have been pleased to know that no physical abuse had occurred. The Robson family also did not object to this explanation. Through working with Robson's mother, the club learned that the English striker had no control over the girl, and the audio posted above was extracted from a longer conversation. But the Robson family declined to provide the full video.

Police arrested Greenwood the same day after the posts surfaced on social media. But the Man Utd report shows that the police executed the arrest warrant after learning of online posts, not following a complaint from Robson or the girl's family.

Man Utd also verified what Greenwood did with the police after his arrest, and found that the 21-year-old striker had handed over the devices and passwords so that the police could fully check. In April 2022, about three months after Greenwood's arrest, Robson withdrew both the charges and her support of the investigation. But in October, CPS charged Greenwood with rape and assault, as well as acts of control and coercion.

Some staff and players have faith that Greenwood will be brought back into the squad. But de facto disagreement ensued, with some forcing the specialist departments to want Greenwood back, while the majority of the behind-the-scenes staff objected. The first team internally also approved of Greenwood's return. Although not a top star, the England striker has been close to a number of people since he was a teammate in the academy and together they made it to the first team.

Ten Hag is said to be among those supporting Greenwood's return and has spoken directly to the striker. The analysis department has also studied how to best use Greenwood if he returns, because the team has changed a lot in terms of play and personnel since the striker last played for Man Utd. According to Sportmail, the striker born in 2001 has his own practice, but under the supervision of the club in recent weeks and has the belief that he will be back.

According to The Athletic on August 16, CEO Arnold and his associates agreed to want Greenwood back and were prepared to explain the decision in front of club staff who were angry at this prospect. Arnold even planned to shoot an explainer video for fans and staff.

Andrew Western, MP representing Labor in Stretford & Urmston, an area covering the whole of Old Trafford, told The Athetic: "Really disappointed with the way Man Utd have handled this. They should focus on making decisions. make the right decisions, speak out in support of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and act with integrity.The club must realize this is not a media crisis, but to do the right thing. right".

CEO Arnold at the same time received a number of very long emails from fans calling not to allow Greenwood to continue wearing the Man Utd shirt. Before the opening match of the English Premier League against Wolves, fans and feminist organizations rallied outside Old Trafford, unfurling banners and banners boycotting the return of the 21-year-old striker.

At that time, Man Utd explained that no final decision had been made and that the rumored scenario was just one of the cases they were considering.

But the backlash and expected impact on the club and its players led United to decide that it would be better for both of them if Greenwood left the team to continue his career in a different shirt. He will leave on loan with an option to buy permanently, or find a common voice on terminating the current contract that is due to expire in the summer of 2025.

Sportmail believes that moving to Türkiye or Italy is a way out of playing Greenwood. British newspaper Sunsport rated Roma as the most potential destination because coach Jose Mourinho worked and gave Greenwood a chance when he was managing Man Utd. In 2018, he invited the English striker - then 16 years old - to participate in a pre-season tour in the US.

The "Red Devils" said they will work with Greenwood and his girlfriend Robson - who gave birth to a daughter last month - to find a new club with the right environment with the right support. Switching to another club in England is unlikely. At least two Championship clubs - the second highest division of the football league system in England - have held preliminary discussions but have decided not to take it further. Greenwood prefers to stay in his homeland, but a move to a club abroad may be his only option.

Man Utd will also step up efforts to educate players about healthier relationships and behaviour. Insiders describe this as "an improbable situation" and something they won't want to face anymore.