Neville apologises for ‘clumsy like’ on tweet calling Man United’s Greenwood an ‘innocent man’

Gary Neville has issued a statement insisting he “obviously condemns” violence against women, after coming under fire for liking a tweet describing Mason Greenwood as an “innocent man”.

Charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm against Manchester United striker Greenwood were dropped on Thursday, a year after his arrest.

And United icon Neville came under fire online for liking a tweet from former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England Nazir Afzal pleading Greenwood’s innocence, something he admitted was “clumsy”.

The Sky Sports pundit later tweeted: “I liked a tweet related to Mason Greenwood news this afternoon from Nazir Afzal. (former director of public prosecution).

‘This like is being misconstrued. It was clumsy, as I obviously condemn any violence against women.’

Gary Neville has issued a statement saying he “obviously” condemns violence against women after coming under fire for liking tweets about Mason Greenwood’s charges being dropped.

Charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior and one charge of assault causing actual bodily harm against the Man United striker were dropped on Thursday.

Afzal’s tweets read: ‘Prosecutors have dropped all charges against you against Mason. What has changed you may ask? It seems that (some) witnesses will no longer support an accusation and new evidence has come to light. He happens to be an innocent man, that’s all we need to know.

‘You are innocent until PROVEN guilty. We don’t have a trial by the media, we don’t have evidence that any witness was lying, we don’t do ‘victim or whistle blaming’. Prosecutors must be sure that there is a realistic prospect that a jury will convict them based on the evidence they have. They do not.

Since then, Neville has disliked those tweets. He is also believed to have retweeted one of the tweets, but he has since undone that action as well.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said: ‘We have a duty to keep cases under continual review. In this case, a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light meant that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.

‘In these circumstances, we have a duty to stop the case. We have explained our decision to all parties. We always encourage any potential victim to come forward and inform the police and we will prosecute wherever our legal proof is met.’

To which United replied: “Manchester United take note of the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service that all charges against Mason Greenwood have been dropped. The club will now carry out its own process before determining the next steps. We will not comment further until the process is complete.’

Greenwood himself said in a statement: “I am relieved that this matter is over and would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support.” There will be no further comments at this time.

Now there are questions as to whether Greenwood will ever play for the club again.

Neville had liked two tweets from Nazir Afzal, one calling Greenwood an ‘innocent man’

He remains in United’s squad list and, in a possible hint that he could resume his football career, is still present on the first-team squad page on United’s official website.

Greenwood was listed among the players under 21 in United’s official Premier League player list at the start of the season despite being suspended by the club.

His biography on the club’s website It doesn’t mention the charges against him with the latest update mentioning a new contract until 2025 that he signed in 2021 and his 100 appearance spell for the club.

The player, who was capped once by the Three Lions, was first arrested in January on allegations involving a young woman, after images and videos were posted online.

He was later suspended from United on full pay and removed from the FIFA 22 game.

Greenwood last appeared for the Red Devils on January 22, 2022, in a 1-0 win over West Ham. He has been suspended by the club ever since.

Greenwood’s profile remains on United’s official website despite being suspended by the club

The striker is featured alongside other United players on the first team squad page.

Greenwood was listed in the Under 21 (Contract and Interns) section of United’s squad for the Premier League at the start of the season.