- Manchester United are facing off-field problems at Old Trafford
- The club’s CEO Richard Arnold is said to have met with disgruntled staff
- The dealings with Antony and Mason Greenwood were reportedly questioned
Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold has reportedly held a tense ‘no-holds barred’ meeting with staff unhappy with the handling of a number of issues this season, including the handling of the Antony and Mason Greenwood sagas.
On the pitch, United have fallen to 13th in the Premier League after three defeats in their first five games, and the club has also suffered a spate of problems off the pitch.
Mason Greenwood was loaned out to Spanish club Getafe, with the club deciding not to reintegrate him into the squad following a six-month investigation after police dropped charges of attempted rape and assault.
Antony, meanwhile, remains away from the first team as he faces allegations of assault from three women in Brazil, which he denies.
United staffers were reportedly invited to a no-holds-barred meeting with Arnold on Monday to air their grievances, according to reports the Telegraphwith the Greenwood and Antony sagas high on the agenda.
Man United chief executive Richard Arnold reportedly answered questions from disgruntled staff
Staffers are said to have criticized him for the club’s handling of the Antony (L) and Mason Greenwood sagas
Staff were urged to send in anonymous questions via a Zoom call, with staff reportedly wanting answers about the club’s position after Greenwood was initially suspended in January 2022 following the publication of an online video – with Arnold claiming she ‘ committed to an inclusive culture’ and completely against domestic violence.
He also defended their process of suspending Greenwood and their ultimate decision to send him on loan to Getafe, the report continues, saying this was only done after the full investigation had been completed.
Arnold – who reportedly faced some ‘very tough questions’ – is also said to have reassured his staff that the club still believe in the summer recruitment that saw them hand out more than £170million on the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat on loan.
He reportedly added that the club is still fully behind manager Erik Ten Hag despite the club’s difficult start to the season, with the latest defeat being a damaging 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton on Saturday.
Adding to Manchester United’s mounting problems, winger Jadon Sancho – who cost £73million in 2021 – is staying away from first-team training and is on a personal program after colliding with Ten Hag while trying to get him dropped due to their defeat to Arsenal before the match. international break.
United have been embroiled in a series of off-the-field problems at Old Trafford this season
Erik ten Hag has already had a falling out with Jadon Sancho and banned him from training
Sancho responded to Ten Hag’s claims in a social media post that effectively branded him a liar, before further inflaming the situation by claiming to have been made a scapegoat.
The Dutch coach claimed Sancho had been left out of the matchday squad due to his ‘training performance’, with the player then accusing him of lying and insisting he had been scapegoated online.
Mail Sport revealed last week that Ten Hag has banned Sancho after refusing to apologize for his social media post and the England star has continued to train at Carrington on his own.
As he sought to reassure his staff, Arnold also spoke about United’s start to the season which has seen them slip into the bottom half of the league.
The staff was told that the summer recruitment will ultimately prove correct and that there is still confidence in Erik ten Hag, who has led the club to the Champions League and starts this season’s campaign with Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Overall, the meeting would include some very tough questions for the CEO to answer. United’s summer was dominated by Greenwood and Antony, and to a lesser extent Jadon Sancho was banned from the first team due to his standards in training.