Embattled Manchester United forward, Mason Greenwood would not play nor train with the Three Lions of England until his rape and assault scandal is over.
Recall that the 20-year-old English forward allegedly raped and assaulted his girlfriend, Harriet Robson. The world got to know about the scandal when Robson took to her Instagram page to share pictures and clips showing evidence of the assault she suffered at the hands of the footballer.
Hours after the pictures and clips went viral, the Greater Manchester police arrested him. He stayed in the police custody for a night before the police announced that the footballer would continue to remain with them for further interrogation.
Two nights after, Mason Greenwood was re-arrested and an allegation of threats to kill was added to the allegations of rape and assault. After three nights in police custody, the police released him on bail while investigations continue.
Amid all these, his club, Manchester United, announced on Sunday, January 30, that the footballer has been suspended from training and playing for the club until further notice.
The club did not end there, they went as far as removing all the Mason Greenwood’s related merchandise from the club’s official website. Even fans who have already bought Greenwood’s related merchandise requested a refund from the club.
In reaction to that, Manchester United reportedly announced that the fans can swap their Greenwood jersey with that of other players.
To make it worst for the football star, the scandal has led him to lose his sponsorship deal with American sportswear-making company, Nike. He has even been removed from the FIFA22 video game.
Recently, a United Kingdom publication, The Sun reported that the head coach of the Three Lions of England, Gareth Southgate has ruled out any possibility of inviting Mason Greenwood back to the national team amid the ongoing scandal.
This means that the embattled English footballer would not participate in any form of training or football game with the national team until he is cleared from the ongoing scandal.
Recall that Mason Greenwood got his first call up to the national team in September 2020. He managed to make one appearance in a Nations League game away against Iceland before he was sent home after it was discovered that he breached the team’s coronavirus protocol.
The incident that led to his disgraceful exit from the national team camp in Iceland involved him and his national team-mate Phil Foden of Manchester City. They sneaked in two Icelandic ladies to their hotel room which was against the team’s protocol.
Though it was both Foden and Greenwood that was sent back home due to the breach, Foden has since returned to the team but Greenwood has not been able to play for the national team since September 2020.
🎙️ "Obviously it was a topic within the team."
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 3, 2022
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick says his squad has had a good and 'normal' week of training despite the ongoing Mason Greenwood investigation. pic.twitter.com/vSZPoyBERx
