Manchester United’s fears become reality as charges against Mason Greenwood are dropped

Having spent the last few months searching for a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, in any other circumstances the return of Mason Greenwood could be seen as welcome news for Manchester United.

A rising star brought up in club traditions, an established first-team regular and a youngster widely regarded as the best finisher at Old Trafford, who better to step into Ronaldo’s shoes after his acrimonious exit? In that regard, Greenwood certainly seems a better fit than Wout Weghorst, the 6-foot-6 Dutchman who signed on loan from Burnley last month to help lead United’s attack.

In reality, however, Greenwood’s potential availability after attempted rape and assault charges against him were dropped on Thursday is a nightmare scenario for United as they try to navigate a moral minefield. In the year since he was first arrested, the club has prepared for life without him to the point of effectively writing off an asset worth close to £134m in some quarters just a month earlier.

Judging by some of the transfer fees paid in the January window, Greenwood’s value could have been even higher than that now if he had continued on the same trajectory. But the fact is that it was not so. Greenwood’s golden career came to a screeching halt the moment the police knocked on his door in January 2022.

Over the course of the past 12 months, club sources have told Sportsmail that the worst possible outcome would be for the charges against Greenwood to be dropped or for the case to go to court and be found not guilty. At lunchtime on Thursday, United’s worst fears were realized with confirmation from the Crown Prosecution Service that no further action will be taken against him.

While Greenwood is no longer facing charges, it would be wrong to say that this is not damaged property. The leaked audio file that started this whole unfortunate chain of events tarnished his reputation, and that of his club and sponsors, from the start. It was enough for Nike to quickly cut ties with the young man without compensation after his arrest due to reputational damage and loss of business value.

Talks were already underway on a new deal that would have been worth millions. All traces of it have disappeared from United’s online merchandise store and versions of FIFA 22, while Cadbury, one of United’s official partners, said it would not use it on any marketing products while the allegations were investigated.

In the case of United, one of the objectives of the internal investigation launched yesterday (Thursday) will be to determine whether he has brought the club into disrepute to the point that his £70,000 a week contract can be terminated with more than two years. let run This, after all, is a moral question that extends well beyond the football field.

United has a worldwide army of fans, a host of global sponsors and, let’s not forget, a women’s team these days. What kind of message would Mason Greenwood send by running at Old Trafford again in a red shirt? With the Glazer family currently open to offers for United worth between £6-9bn, this is not a good time to damage the brand in any way. And then there are Greenwood’s teammates. Some of them stopped following him on social media following his arrest. Others struggled to like him even before that, following his breakthrough into the first team.

Most are fathers, many with daughters. Would they be expected to welcome it with open arms after what they heard on the audio? United say Greenwood will not be able to play for the club or train while the internal investigation is ongoing, but all they have done is buy time. Erik ten Hag has performed a minor miracle in improving the toxic atmosphere around the locker room since he took over in the summer, and the last thing he needs is a distraction of this nature.

Ten Hag’s predecessor, Ralf Rangnick, described Greenwood’s arrest as “a disaster” and remains so in many ways. And the player himself? Regardless of the accusations that have been made against Greenwood, whatever evidence has been leaked into the public domain, he is an innocent man not facing charges. On that basis, he is free to live and work wherever he wants, regardless of his profile. But United pundits have long said the 21-year-old is young for his age.

He would need the skin of a rhino to step back on the pitch in the Premier League and play in front of tens of thousands of fans every week again. Even in his absence, nasty chants have been heard from supporters of other clubs when they play against United. He expects it to be multiplied by ten if he steps on the field in this country again. Supporters chanted something similar about Ronaldo, in connection with an accusation made in the US, and he didn’t stop until the day he left United in November.

Moving abroad has been debated, and may represent Greenwood’s best shot at rehabilitation, but who’s to say vitriol wouldn’t follow him there? There is no easy path for United and Greenwood. There are no winners in this one. There was a time when taking a girl back to the England service team hotel, being told off for being late to United or inhaling nitrous oxide constituted a crisis for the Bradford-born player who had the potential to be one of the greatest. of his career. generation.

But last year brought problems on a completely different scale. Greenwood issued a statement last night expressing his relief, and that’s understandable. He has been through personal hell. For his team, however, the problem of picking up the pieces of this sorry mess remains.