Amid all the issues and the problems still facing Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co ahead of Manchester United’s first summer under Ineos control, this is the one likely to attract the most attention. And, perhaps, the most pressure.
A potential ‘superstar’ he may be. But there is a very good reason why one of the most naturally talented Manchester United graduates of the last decade is spending the season out on loan away from Old Trafford.
The Red Devils incurred quite the backlash when it emerged last summer, via The Athletic, that there were plans to re-integrate Mason Greenwood into Erik ten Hag’s first-team squad. And, with his spell at Getafe entering it’s final few weeks, a short-lived stint in La Liga always felt like a classic ‘kicking the can down the road’ sort of short-term solution.
Now, the issue falls into the laps of Ineos. The Greenwood saga one of countless problems Ratcliffe’s new team have inherited from the highly-unpopular regime of old.
Manchester United must make Mason Greenwood call
“(He is) too good for Getafe, with all the respect in the world. They’ve had the benefit of having a player they wouldn’t normally have, the quality of Mason Greenwood,” explains Terry Gibson, Spanish football expert and one-time United forward speaking on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
“As a footballer, he’s been superb. He’s knuckled down, got on with the job. It’s not a glamorous posting to go and play for Getafe. You have to have a certain culture there, and he’s adhered to that. There hasn’t been one bad word said about him, he’s worked hard, good attitude and you can see the quality.”
Greenwood’s ‘quality’ has never been the issue. Now, Ratcliffe has shown already that he is not afraid to make big and perhaps unpopular decisions. But welcoming the one-time England international back to Old Trafford feels like a call which could do more harm than good. Especially with United’s new decision makers looking to instil a culture of responsibility and discipline.
According to The i, Man United may look to cut ties should they receive an offer in the £40 million mark; a sale that, while representing ‘pure profit’ in Financial Fair Play terms, would free up valuable funds for re-investment.
Juventus are reportedly at the front of the queue. Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are also open to keeping the forward in La Liga.
Gibson feels that, with his presence having been ‘accepted’ in Spanish football, it is not out of the realms of possibility that Greenwood is leading the attack for one of the nation’s top sides in 2024/25.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid keen
“I have no idea what’s going to happen to him next season. I think what we’ve seen of him in La Liga, the big clubs would like to take him. They’ve let Getafe take the flak in the beginning,” adds Gibson, who previously described Greenwood as a ‘Real Madrid-level’ player after he scored a long-range stunner against Almeria before Christmas.
“I don’t think there would be a massive uproar if he went to Barcelona or Atletico Madrid now. I think now it’s been accepted in Spain that he’s playing out there.
“We knew that (he had the quality) anyway. He was all the makings of a genuine superstar.”
Greenwood now has 10 goals and six assists in 31 Getafe games. The Madrid-based outfit admitting that they would love to retain his services.
Greenwood notched or set up all three of Getafe’s goals in their last win on Saturday.