Mason Greenwood's new coach breaks silence on controversial move from Man Utd

02 September 2023 , 22:04

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Mason Greenwood has been loaned to Spanish side Getafe (Image: Twitter/@GetafeCF)

Getafe head coach Jose Bordalas has opened up on his side's move for Mason Greenwood after the forward made a shock Deadline Day switch.

Greenwood, 21, hasn't played professional football since he was arrested in January 2022. Charges of attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm against the forward were dropped back in February.

Manchester United conducted a six-month investigation after Greenwood's criminal case ended and it was decided on August 21 that he will not play for the club again. United's preference had been to sell Greenwood before Friday's 11pm deadline, but they were not able to do that.

Instead, United have sent Greenwood out on loan to Getafe. He has signed a season-long deal with the La Liga side, and, after his side's dramatic 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid on Saturday, Bordales spoke about Greenwood's move.

Bordalas said: "It is a very delicate situation to trivialise this issue. Everyone knows what happened and the appropriate measures were taken, obviously, we can only talk about football.

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"Regarding the other issues, I believe that the people and the relevant authorities did what they had to do and everyone knows how it ended with a non-conviction sentence therefore he is a free person, a footballer of a very high level and who arrives at Getafe with enormous enthusiasm and that we are obviously going to help him so that he recovers back to his best level."

(Getty Images)

In a statement confirming Greenwood's move to the Spanish side, United simply said: "Mason Greenwood has signed for La Liga side Getafe on a season-long loan, subject to international clearance. The move enables Greenwood to begin to rebuild his career away from Manchester United."

Meanwhile, Greenwood is facing calls to be axed already - just 24 hours after he signed. Spain's leading domestic abuse charity on Saturday night have called for him to be sent back, before he has even kicked a ball.

Ana Bella Estévez, of the Ana Bella Foundation, said of Madrid based Getafe: "The club is setting a terrible example."

Ms Estevez told the Mirror: "Getafe executives should never have hired Mason Greenwood and should immediately overturn their decision. If you're a public facing organisation like Getafe there is no excuse to take a neutral stance on violence against women - you must take moral responsibility."

Kieran King