Mason Greenwood: State of play for Man Utd forward amid ongoing internal investigation

According to The Guardian, United staff were "split" on whether Greenwood should be allowed to resume his career at Old Trafford when the internal investigation began. Some felt the club owed him a "duty of care" given the fact he has been on their books since the age of seven.

However, the report also stated that a "substantial portion" of staff "would be deeply unhappy" if Greenwood were to wear the famous red shirt again. Meanwhile, United manager Erik ten Hag was asked how he planned to deal with the situation.

“It’s really important but sometimes you get issues,” he told reporters. “Then as a club and team you have to deal with it. We have standards and values. We have to live along those high standards and values and that gives a base if you have a good culture and spirit. That’s our job, not to get distracted by anything. We are human beings and sometimes there are issues, we are not like robots, but we have to focus on our job."

Some members of the United Women's team made it clear that they were "deeply uncomfortable" over Greenwood's potential return, after hearing an audio that was released on social media before his initial arrest - as per The Athletic.

Their discomfort was shared by the founder of the United Women’s Supporters’ Club, Natalie Burrell. “I don’t think he should play again for Manchester United,” Burrell told The Athletic. “It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. They need to make a statement and letting him back would be the worst thing they could do.

"It would set our club back in terms of what we’re trying to do with our women’s team and campaigns like Her Game Too, which are trying to encourage women to play and watch football. I just don’t want to see him training. I don’t want to see him in a (United) kit. I don’t want to see him ever coming out at Old Trafford again.”

By the start of March, United had begun mapping out a "phased process" for Greenwood's reintegration into the first-team squad as they considered all of their options - according to The Athletic. This included encouraging the player to undertake a form of therapy, before a potentially more comprehensive rehabilitation.

The report added that Greenwood could also be challenged publicly on the events of the previous 18 months in a television interview. However, it was also stressed that this was merely one possibility, and that a parting of ways was also still under consideration.

United reportedly received loan enquiries for Greenwood from several Turkish clubs after the criminal charges against him were dropped. The Turkish Football Federation announced that their winter transfer window had been extended until March 5 by FIFA following the deadly earthquake that hit the country on February 6.

No deal was pursued by United at that stage, but speculation only increased heading into April. Spanish outlet Relevo stated that AC Milan had identified Greenwood as a summer transfer target in a bid to bolster their attacking ranks.

The following month, The Sun reported that Juventus had made contact with Greenwood's representatives over a potential season-long loan deal. It was then said that United had begun actively looking for European clubs willing to take the forward on a temporary basis.

United's 2022-23 campaign ended without Greenwood seeing a single minute of action, but he then reportedly emerged on the radar of Jose Mourinho at Roma. It was the Portuguese that initially brought him into the senior ranks as coach of United in 2018, and The Sun claimed he had spoken to Greenwood's father about a reunion at Stadio Olimpico.

Shortly before United's FA Cup final defeat against Manchester City, Ten Hag gave a lengthy interview to The Times. He was quizzed on a number of different subjects, including the Glazers' protracted sale of the club, Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive exit, and United's need for a new No.9.

The Dutchman was also probed on the club's investigation into Greenwood, and asserted that he won't be making the final decision on his future. But The Times did quote Ten Hag as saying that Greenwood "showed in the past that he is capable of doing that [scoring goals for the club]".

According to The Telegraph, the takeover process at United won't have any bearing on Greenwood's situation, with a decision set to be made "irrespective" of whether the Glazers go ahead with a proposed £6 billion sale.

And The Sun had earlier claimed that Ten Hag and "most" of Greenwood's United team-mates would welcome his return to the squad.

The Sun reported at the end of June that Greenwood had put his luxury mansion up for rent, which fuelled rumours of a potential transfer away from United. The report claimed the Manchester house had been circulated by high-end letting agents for £15,000 per month.

Roma's links with Greenwood surfaced in the days that followed, and Atalanta were also later credited with an interest in the forward. The Manchester Evening News reported that Greenwood could be used as a makeweight in any deal for Rasmus Hojlund to head to Old Trafford, and United have since reached an agreement with the Danish star on personal terms.

On July 14, Greenwood posted on social media for the first time in 77 weeks. He took to Instagram to announce the birth of his first child.

Greenwood shared a black-and-white photo showing his hands, and those of Harriet Robson and the new-born baby, with the caption "11.07.23 🤍".

Greenwood was pictured training alone in June, and The Sun posted an image of him training with United team-mate Anthony Elanga the following month, but he did not report for pre-season with the rest of the squad.

United played two summer friendlies against Leeds and Lyon before flying across the Atlantic for a tour of the United States. Ten Hag's side opened their American tour with a 2-0 win against Arsenal, and have three more fixtures penciled in before the end of the month against Wrexham, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

The Athletic has reported that Greenwood will not be included in the squad, and will continue to stay away from training until the club's investigation is concluded.

Before the Arsenal game, Ten Hag confirmed that he has given his opinion on Greenwood to the club as a final decision on his future draws nearer. "On this, it’s a club decision and of course, I said my opinions but it's a club decision and we have to accept that," he said. "I can't say so much about it but I shared my opinion about it, so let's see what's going to happen."