Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Manchester United officially announced their list of players for the 2022/23 season of the Premier League. The inclusion of forward Mason Greenwood in the official squad list submitted to the Premier League despite the player being suspended by the club as a result of a police investigation looking into rape and sexual assault caused outrage among football fans.
The one-time capped England player has been included on the club’s list of Under 21 players who are eligible to feature in the league this season but Greenwood hasn’t been included in United’s Europa League squad.
The 20-year-old remains suspended and has been placed on leave with pay since January 30 after he got arrested for alleged rape, assault and a threat to kill. According to the latest information from Greater Manchester Police, Greenwood remains on bail, which he received on June 24 following a court hearing, and the authorities are continuing to investigate the matter.
Greenwood had made his official Manchester United debut in March 2019 and since then, he has featured for the Red Devils in 129 appearances. During that period, he has found the back of the net on 35 occasions and he also got called up to the England squad where he played a single match against Iceland in 2020.
He last played for Manchester United on January 22, appearing in the Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
Following his suspension after his arrest, United have not allowed fans to purchase official shirts with Greenwood’s number and his number 11 on the back but the player’s profile remains online on the club website.
The Red Devils have had to deny rumours twice that originated online and suggested that the player had resumed first-team training operations. In April, a club spokesperson explained why his profile remains on the club’s website having initially been removed from their mobile app.
“There has been no change whatsoever in Mason’s status,” the spokesperson said. “We removed his profile from the club app soon after he was removed from the squad in January.”
It goes without saying that the inclusion of Greenwood prompted severe backlash from fans, including Manchester United faithful, on social media.