Mason Greenwood will NOT return to Manchester United training until their own processes are complete - despite his charges of attempted rape and an alleged assault dropped by prosecutors.
Greenwood was suspended by United in January 2022 - when the original allegations first surfaced. He was subsequently charged with one count of attempted rape, a count of assault and repeatedly engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and was due to face trial in November before Greater Mancheser Police confirmed the CPS had dropped all charges.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that "the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction."
The CPS added: "In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case. We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met.”
United have now released a statement, clarifying they will now undertake their own process before deciding on their next step: " Manchester United notes the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service that all charges against Mason Greenwood have been dropped,” the official statement read.
“The club will now conduct its own process before determining next steps. We will not make any further comment until that process is complete."
And Manchester Evening News report that Greenwood will not play or train for the club until their own due process has reached a conclusion. He remains under contract at Old Trafford until the summer of 2025 and was understood to be still receiving his £75,000-a-week wage.
Greenwood’s last appearance in a United shirt came on January 22 of last year, during a 1-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford. That was the most recent of 129 appearances for the senior team having come through the club’s fabled academy.
The forward’s profile remains visible on United’s website, although that situation was clarified in a statement back in April 2022.
“There has been no change whatsoever in Mason’s status,” the club said. “We removed his profile from the club app soon after he was removed from the squad in January.
“This was in order to remove Mason from interactive elements of the app, such as team predictions etc.
“However, his profile was never removed from the website as he remains a Manchester United player, albeit not currently part of the squad while the legal process unfolds.”
United stopped selling all merchandise with his name and face on it and a number of team-mates unfollowed him on social media. Several of his sponsors, including Nike also cancelled their deals with the England international. He was also removed from the FIFA computer game and Football Manager series.
