Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has expressed his thoughts on Mason Greenwood, but he’s also expressed his frustration with how the club handled what appears to be a sensitive issue.
Manchester United has officially announced that they are parting ways with Mason Greenwood by mutual consent. The 21-year-old has taken full responsibility for his behavior but has denied any accusations made against him.
Mason Greenwood hasn’t played for the Manchester-based club since January 2020, but in February of this year, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped all charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior, and assault against him.
Despite the charges being dropped, the club, as part of due diligence, informed supporters that they initiated their own internal investigation.
Initially,according to The Athletic, the decision was to integrate him back into senior proceedings once the investigation had been concluded, though social media upheaval resulted in a U-turn on the decision which has resulted the club cutting ties with the forward.
Protests were rife outside of Old Trafford before the club’s first home fixture of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with famous face Rachel Riley even claiming she would stop supporting the club should a return for Greenwood materialise.
Now, Manchester United cult hero Neville has given his take on how poorly the situation has been handled by his beloved club.
Gary Neville’s verdict on the situation
On Monday Night Football, Neville was asked by presenter David Jones whether the club have come to a correct decision by parting ways with Greenwood.
“Yes, they have. They’ve finally got there,” the former right-back said.
“I think it was clear from day one, for me and for anybody who saw the evidence that was initially released, that he wouldn’t play for Manchester United again.
“And so, they have got there. However, I would say that the process in getting there, I think has been pretty horrible. When you have significant situations and difficult situations like this, it requires strong and authoritative leadership and that comes from the very top. And Manchester United don’t have that.
“And on an issue like domestic abuse and violence against women, that brings me to a third point: it takes independence.
“Manchester United must not be judge and jury on such an importance issue, not only for themselves, but also for the game.
“People talk about Manchester United’s reputation, but it’s also about the Premier League. I believe that issues of this importance and gravity should be dealt with independently by a panel of experts.
“Because clearly Manchester United did not have the skills and ability to handle this situation properly – it was way above their level of experience and ability.”