Mason Greenwood addresses Marseille “controversy” following move from Manchester United

Mason Greenwood has addressed the controversy surrounding his move from Manchester United to Marseille in a £26 million transfer.

Mason Greenwood was once one of Machester United‘s brightest young talents, but he has not represented the club since January 2022 after he was arrested on suspicion of rape, assault, and coercive control.

Although the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately dropped their case as “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction” in early 2023, fan pressure meant the club ultimately decided that he would resume his career elsewhere.

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The young forward then spent a season on loan at Getafe, where he scored 10 goals. With United needing funds for new transfers, they immediately put Greenwood on the market.

He has now joined Ligue 1 side Marseille in a deal worth a £23.3 million fixed fee plus a further £3.4 million in add-ons, as well as a 50% sell-on clause.

However, ahead of the move, Marseille Mayor Benoît Payan spoke out against the transfer, explaining that he felt that Greenwood’s previous behaviour was “unacceptable” and that he would ask the president of Olympique Marseille to cancel the move.

Despite this, the deal went through, and Greenwood has now been asked what he thinks of Payan’s statement.

I am aware of all this, of course, but I do not want to enter into any controversy; I already expressed my feelings last year (in a press release sent to a number of British media in August 2023),” he told L’Equipe.

“Today, all of this is now behind us. My partner and I have rebuilt ourselves as a couple. We have been together since we were 16, and we have had a wonderful little girl since then. We are looking ahead and we are impatient to be able to begin this adventure in Marseille.”

Further, he was also asked why he chose Marseille, to which he replied: “Marseille is a very big club in France, perhaps the biggest. It is the only one that has won the Champions League, in 1993.

“It is a club with a great history, an incredible public and I had good discussions with the new coach, Roberto De Zerbi. I know him a little from having seen his team, Brighton, play in the Premier League.”

Continuing to speak about De Zerbi, he said: “Very important. He has very precise tactical ideas, I have seen a lot of his team’s Premier League matches, I have also played in the Premier League, of course, and Brighton were a very pleasant team to watch.

“I am really looking forward to being part of this new adventure under his command in Marseille.”

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