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Will Mason Greenwood play for Manchester United again? | UK News


Mason Greenwood could return to play soon.

Whether the striker does – and where – remains unclear, though rape and assault charges against him have been dropped.

Manchester United want time to consider the 21-year-old’s fate.

One of the key factors in its assessment could be whether the club’s sponsors would accept Greenwood wearing their logo, a lawyer told Sky News.

For a year, Manchester United handed the case over to the Royal Prosecution Service (CPS) after the player was charged with willful rape and assault in an investigation launched after the allegations emerged. in videos and pictures.

CPS said it had an “obligation to stop the case” after “withdrawing key witnesses and new material coming to light”.

Greenwood was on his way to becoming a key part of the Old Trafford side when his career was halted in January 2022 due to the opening of a criminal investigation.

He has remained de facto suspended since then, agreeing to take a break from training and not competing.

Sponsors, including Nike, quickly cut ties with him.

But Manchester United must assess whether Greenwood’s behavior towards a woman would prevent him from playing for them again.

Simon Leaf, a lawyer and head of sports at Mishcon de Reya, told Sky News: “Manchester United really finds itself in the middle of a rock and a difficult place.

“On the one hand, they will look at the contract and whether they have the right to terminate it.

“On the other hand, if they take action and they wrongfully terminate the contract, then they may find themselves subject to further claims by Mason Greenwood himself, who would potentially have the right to bring a termination claim.” wrongful termination, which would actually result in the club paying the full value of his contract.”

A graduate of the Manchester United academy, Greenwood will find somewhere in the world wanting him on their team.

And with a contract until 2025, he should have been valued at tens of millions of pounds.

Greenwood will appear before the judges on Monday Pic: AP
Picture:
Greenwood graduated from United Academy. Photo: AP

Canceling that contract would be costly for Manchester United, but could be the morally right decision, in their mind, even though Greenwood has not been convicted.

It could be determined by whether Manchester United sponsors can accept the sight of Greenwood emblazoned with their logo and his ability to object to his playing – including fans. of the club itself.

Mr Leaf said: “Manchester United is one of the most valuable brands in world football and their commercial partnership is particularly important to the club.

“Many of these partnerships will include very strict anti-embarrassment provisions, which will effectively allow the sponsor to walk away if they do not feel that the club has handled the situation. correctly and confuse them and the club sponsor.

“So they will be very mindful of that when looking at Mason Greenwood’s situation as they consider whether they need to take more decisive action to ensure their sponsors continue to align themselves with the club.” set or not.”

This is a complicated situation for Manchester United to navigate, as the club’s future is changing Glazer family property looking for investors – likely to lead to a sale.

“It’s clear that current owners won’t want to do anything that might affect the value they can achieve in the market,” said Mr Leaf.

“It’s a really delicate balance they’ll need to make in the coming days and weeks on this particular issue.”

Manchester United have not set a timeframe for the internal process that will determine whether one of their brightest prospects ever plays for the club again.

Greenwood has only said that he is “relieved that this matter is over” – giving no indication that he is determined to continue his playing career.

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