Manchester United have included Mason Greenwood in their official 2022/2023 Premier League squad submitted to the Premier League despite the striker being suspended by the club as a result of a police investigation. The striker has been included on the club’s list of Under-21 players after the announcement was made on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.
But some Twitter users including @stokeyyg2 @nescoking, @KolajoAle, and @Wizarab10 are in a state of dilemma about whether the United striker’s inclusion means he has been found not guilty and that he is cleared to play for the team in the English Premier League. Total reactions from the tweets reached over 1,000 likes. In view of this, DUBAWA sought to bring clarity to the matter.
What’s the update on Mason Greenhood’s arrest?
Mason Greenwood was first arrested on January 10, 2022, for allegedly sexually assaulting and abusing his ex-girlfriend, Harriet Robson, after images and videos went viral on social media. He was also alleged to have threatened to kill his girlfriend on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. The posts have since been deleted from the social media page.
Even though a Twitter user @unitedlatestnews, whose post has gained over 33,000 likes claims Mason Greenhood will soon be back on the training grounds with his teammates at Manchester United because he and his family have won the case, our research proves otherwise.
A statement issued by the Manchester Police in the UK after Mason Greenhood’s case was heard on June 24, 2022, indicated that the striker remains on bail and that it will not be providing any further updates in relation to his case until the suspect is charged or released. The Athletic captures this statement in a news story written by its Deputy News Editor, Anthony Hay.
Aside from a statement issued on February 2022 by the Communications Department of Manchester United that “Mason Greenwood will not train with, or play for, the club until further notice due to his ongoing police investigation,” there is no other update on whether the striker will be playing for the team in the 2022/2023 league season.
What does Mason Greenhood’s inclusion in the squad mean?
Mason Greenwood signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until June 2025, with the option to extend for a further year. This is according to the Communications Department of the team.
DUBAWA reached out to Emmanuel Budu-Annor, a sports journalist with Live Soccer TV an international sports agency, and a member of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) as well as of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS), to get an understanding of Mason Greenhood’s inclusion.
According to him, Mason Greenhood’s inclusion does not mean he is coming to play for Manchester United. He says that can only happen if the court gives a verdict that clears him from any wrongdoing, adding that, his inclusion on the squad list is because the striker still has a contract with the team.
“The club hasn’t officially released a statement terminating his contract, so he is technically still a Manchester United player. However, because they have been no ruling from the court on his case, he is expected to be registered, but technically he can’t play for the team since it has issued a statement suspending him from the team as the police investigation continues.
If the ruling proves he is guilty, then Manchester United will have to release him from his contract to serve his jail sentence, but if he is proven innocent, then it basically means he will be able to play for the club. His inclusion doesn’t really mean he is coming to play for Manchester United unless the court gives a verdict that clears him from any wrongdoing.”
We also reached out to Benard Esar, a sports journalist with Citi FM/TV. He indicated that Greenhood’s inclusion is just a formality to avoid any legalities since the striker still has a contract with the team till 2025.
“It is only mandatory that, as a club, you list players in your team to the league you are playing for. And the under-21 team has a running league, which they still pay him. So since he also has a contract with them till 2025, it’s just a formality sake to avoid any legalities because he is still a player with them. That does not mean he will be playing for Man UTD while investigations are ongoing.”
Conclusion
Mason Greenhood will return to the training grounds of Manchester United only if he is cleared of all charges. But until then, he still remains suspended from the team.
