Manchester United’s decision on whether Mason Greenwood should be allowed to play for the club again will be delayed after the club decided to consult the women’s football team.
As the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is still ongoing, there are a number of key United players involved in the tournament so a decision would not be announced until the tournament is finished on 20 August, at the very least. Consequently, it is an issue that is being brought into next season when it should have been done and dusted by now. Reports suggest that United are keen on gathering opinions from key stakeholders – such as sponsors, the women’s team and fans – before making the final decision.
It follows a 6 month long investigation by the club that continues to have further delays. It was expected that the matter would be concluded before United’s season opener vs Wolves. There is a planned protest before Monday’s game which will illustrate the voice that Mason Greenwood should never play for the club again.
The fact that a decision has not already been made is farcical. What is even poorer from the club is publicly leaving the decision to point towards the United women’s team. By doing this, the ‘blame’ on Greenwood potentially being blacklisted from the club would leave the likes of Ella Toone, Mary Earps and Nikita Paris to shoulder the responsibility and receive inevitable social media abuse, rather than the club itself.
United have continued to take a cowardly approach in the Greenwood situation by ‘feeling out’ the crowd rather than act in accordance to how a professional football club in the Premier League should – doing so in an excruciatingly slow manner. The player’s case was dropped in February, which left plenty of time to discreetly consult stakeholders.
By not outlining its own values and morals, the Old Trafford club should rightly be scrutinised regardless of the decision that ‘they’ come to. Additionally, it presumably adds to a level of discomfort for current squad members who played with Greenwood previously, and whether a mid-season welcome back for the player wouldn’t disrupt the squad dynamics at a crucial stage of the season.