Manchester United have announced that Mason Greenwood will be leaving the club following an internal investigation into the allegations of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault against him.
The 22-year-old, who was arrested in January 2022 on suspicion of a number of offences including attempted rape, will not play for the club again and is likely to leave on loan or see his contract settled.
The forward will leave the club after both parties agreed on the ‘difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United’.
In a statement, the club said: “All those involved, including Mason, recognise the difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United. It has therefore been mutually agreed that it would be most appropriate for him to do so away from Old Trafford, and we will now work with Mason to achieve that outcome.”
The 21-year-old had been suspended from Manchester United training and matches until the club completed an internal investigation after the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued its case against Greenwood.
In a statement in February, the CPS said: “In this case a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”
Greenwood, who came through Manchester United’s academy, last played for the club on January 22, 2022.
He has one senior cap for England, having played in the Nations League match against Iceland in September 2020.
Man Utd CEO Richard Arnold also said in a statement that reintegrating Greenwood into the first team was “considered and planned for” amid reports earlier this month that United’s senior staff had been briefed about a return for the forward.
“Reintegration was one of the outcomes we considered and planned for,” Arnold said. “For context, over the course of the past six months several outcomes have been contemplated and planned for, and my view has evolved as our process progressed. While the ultimate decision rested with me, I was taking various factors and views into account right up until the point of finalising my decision.”
Greenwood has been linked to a number of clubs this summer, most notably, Serie A side Atalanta. There were also suggestions he could be used as a makeweight as part of United’s bid to sign Rasmus Hojlund from the Serie ‘A’ outfit before the Danish striker completed his £72m move.