Mason Greenwood played 24 games in all competitions in the 2020-21 season before he was suspended. Credit: Getty Images/Paul Ellis Manchester United have examined «extensive evidence» not in the public domain as part of their protracted investigation into Mason Greenwood as club chief executive Richard Arnold prepares to make a final decision on the English striker's future .
United released a 224-word statement on Wednesday that gave a clear picture of the dilemma the club has been grappling with since it announced an internal investigation into the 21-year-old striker in February.
This followed behind the Crown Prosecution's announcement that charges of attempted rape, assault causing bodily harm and controlling and coercive conduct against Greenwood were dropped 13 months after he was first arrested by Greater Manchester Police.
< p>Greenwood's arrest came after video and audio recordings were posted on social media that went viral.
United set up an executive team that included Arnold, chief operating officer Collette Roche, football director John Murtow, director of communications public Ellie Norman and club legal counsel Patrick Stewart.
One of the key tasks of the commission was to examine all the evidence they had, including information that was not in the public domain.
The club has «duties towards Mason as an employee and as a young man».
Emphasizing in their statement that «the well-being and point of view of the alleged victim has been central to the club's investigations», United also added that they «owe Mason as an employee, as a young man who has been with the club since he was seven years old, and like a new father with a partner.
United said their investigation was «based on extensive evidence and context that is not in the public domain» and that the club «had heard from many people who were directly involved or knew about the case».
Greenwood, who has denied the charges against him, has been suspended since his arrest last year and has been training on his own outside the club.
The full results of the investigation were presented to Arnold last month, and while Joel Glazer, United's co-chairman, , consulted on the matter, the club stated that the final decision on Greenwood rests with the chief executive. /p>
On Wednesday, United representatives insisted that a decision had not yet been made and was «currently the subject of intensive internal discussions» and asked for patience while they worked through the «final stages.»
A decision was expected before the start of the new Premier League season, but it emerged last week that the verdict had been put on hold because the club wanted to consult with other stakeholders, including the women's team. Three of them — Katie Zelem, Ella Thune and Mary Earps — are in Australia and New Zealand for the England team that reached the final on Sunday. about the prospect of Greenwood playing for the club again, and Telegraph Sport spoke to staff who are very unhappy with the idea of the striker returning to the team. Frustration is also known to have taken so long to investigate, even if club sources emphasized the complexity of the case.
A group of fans — Fans Against Greenwood's return — expressed deep last week, opponents of the prospect of the player's return to the United squad were acutely aware that there would be a serious backlash in some quarters if they ultimately decided to bring Greenwood back. There were some protests against Greenwood's possible return to action on Monday against Wolves at Old Trafford.
Arnold is believed to have told United's executives in the first week of August that the club planned to bring Greenwood back, although sources at the club said this was just one of several scenarios the CEO modeled with management.
It is said to have been a «snapshot» of the training plan. United are believed to have done a lot of 'scenario planning', including how things would play out if Greenwood returned, but insist Arnold hasn't made a final decision yet.
Raith Rovers have faced strong backlash from their women's team, supporters, sponsors and campaigners against sexual assault after the Scottish club signed David Goodwilly last year, who was found guilty of raping a woman in 2017 by a civil court. The club subsequently admitted that they had made a mistake and in September last year, eight months after the signing, Goodwilly was released.
United are believed to have taken into account the Goodwilly case and other examples in the sports sectors, news, entertainment and media. part of their investigation.
Erik ten Hag, the United manager, is known to be open to Greenwood's return to his squad and believes it is their responsibility to take care of the player who has been working at the club since he was a boy, and the court did not find him guilty of anything.
Meanwhile, the Manchester United Fans Foundation is collecting the views and opinions of fans on the Greenwood issue in order to share their findings with the club's senior management.
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