Man United: Wayne Rooney urges Mason Greenwood to LEAVE this summer
Manchester United: Wayne Rooney urges ‘stuck’ Mason Greenwood to LEAVE this summer after his CPS case for attempted rape and assault was discontinued
- Wayne Rooney has advised Mason Greenwood, 21, to leave Manchester United
- Forward Greenwood has been suspended by the club for the past 17 months
- He cannot play after discontinuation of CPS case for attempted rape and assault
Wayne Rooney has told ‘stuck’ Mason Greenwood to leave Manchester United this summer for the good of his career.
Forward Greenwood, 21, has been suspended by United for the last 17 months since his arrest in January 2022 on suspicion of rape and assault, and has been unable to play for the club or train with the rest of the squad at Carrington.
United have yet to make a decision over Greenwood’s future at Old Trafford despite launching an internal investigation in February after the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued its case against him for attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
And Rooney admitted to The Athletic that the club are in a ‘difficult position’ – but urged Greenwood to go somewhere and play regularly.
He said: ‘It leaves Mason Greenwood in a position where he is stuck. So for Mason, it’s a bad position to be in because I’m sure he just wants to play football.
Wayne Rooney has told ‘stuck’ Mason Greenwood to leave Manchester United this summer
Forward Greenwood is under internal investigation by the club after the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued its case against him for attempted rape, assault and coercive control
United icon Rooney admitted the club are in a ‘difficult position’ regarding Greenwood’s future
‘But for the club, its image and ensuring they make the right decisions, it’s almost a catch-22. I think the best thing for Mason now is to get out of the club and go and develop somewhere else.
‘He needs to get back playing because it has been a long time. With everything that has happened and how long the internal investigation has taken, it’s probably got to a place now where Mason just needs to go and play and to try and get his career back on track.
‘It’s a difficult position for Mason but for the club as well. You have to make sure you get to the right decision before moving forward and it looks like they’re really struggling to get to that place.’
Mail Sport’s Chris Wheeler reported last week that the most likely outcome is Greenwood goes out on loan to a foreign club next season.
And it emerged last week he could be used as a makeweight in United’s bid to sign Atalanta Rasmus Hojlund.
It’s understood that United’s football director John Murtough has discussed the possibility of Greenwood making a temporary move to Atalanta during his negotiations with the Italian club over talented striker Hojlund.
Greenwood is said to have already rented out his Cheshire home.
Though United sources say that talk of him going on loan to Italy is highly speculative given that his future at United is still undecided.
United are considering loaning Greenwood to Atalanta as part of a bid to sign Rasmus Hojlund
The Red Devils have identified Hojlund as their No 1 striker target this summer, but talks have been hampered by Atalanta’s £86million valuation of the 20-year-old Denmark international.
Including Greenwood as part of the deal could lower Hojlund’s price as well as resolving the complicated issue of what to do with Greenwood, who is still under contract for another two years.
Last week, Greenwood was pictured training with United team-mate Anthony Elanga and last month was pictured working out on a sports centre pitch with a personal trainer.
But as United flew out to Oslo, Norway, on Tuesday for their first pre-season friendly against Leeds at the Ullevaal Stadion on Wednesday night, Greenwood was pictured with Elanga and Udinese defender James Abankwah following a fitness session.
Sweden forward Elanga is among the United players who have yet to report for pre-season training because they were on international duty last month.
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