Getafe sporting director explains decision to sign Mason Greenwood on loan from Man United

Getafe’s sporting director, Rubén Reyes, has explained the club’s decision to take Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood on loan for the 2023/24 season.

Greenwood, 21, was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, coercion, and assault in January last year and whilst the case never went to court, United’s own investigation into the situation concluded that it was best for the forward to continue his career away from Old Trafford.

The player, who has one cap for England, denied all charges against him and was subject to a deadline day move to the La Liga club after talks with Italian club Lazio broke down due to public scrutiny.

Whilst public opinion is still largely against Greenwood – it was one of the main reasons why the club made a U-turn after originally planning to reintroduce him to the squad – that is something that Getafe seems unbothered by.

Their social media activity has been largely dominated by Greenwood’s arrival, with the club even making an English account on X. The tweets including the loanee have been receiving millions of impressions and their account has over 40,000 new followers since the beginning of September.

The sporting director at the Spanish club, Rubén Reyes, has defended the signing of the forward when questioned if the club discussed the morality of the signing.

“No, because there was a resolution [to the case]. He was on the market. There were others competing with us but with our strategy, we convinced him to come here and play for our club. It was not easy. It’s the first time he’s played abroad, but we did it,” he said.

Reyes would go on to mention that Greenwood had been cleared by a judge in the United Kingdom in a separate interview. However, the Crown Prosecution instead dropped the charges against the football due to the withdrawal of key witnesses and the emergence of new evidence.

“He has been sentenced by whoever had to do it, who is a judge. That is the absolute highest authority, isn’t it?” Reyes mistakenly claimed.

Greenwood trained in front of several hundred Getafe supporters at the Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on Tuesday as he was presented alongside fellow new signings Óscar Rodríguez and Diego Rico.

Reyes reiterated that the signing of Greenwood is ‘very important’ to the club which finished two points clear of the drop last term.

“We, as I always say, have only signed players with the possibility of being signed. Both Mason, [Diego] Rico, and Oscar [Rodriguez] we consider that they were good signings for Getafe to complete our squad,” added Reyes.

“A squad with players you know, who have our DNA and who are the house brand for this club to be maintained every year. It is very important. Being able to add these pieces for these colleagues who have given performance in recent years is a joy for us.”