Mason Greenwood and Manchester United saga is OVER: How club reacted and what happens next for the England international – club set to release official statement Released  This morning.

Since Greenwood was arrested in January 2022, following the broadcast of violent photographs and audio on social media, the club has not let him to play for them. The charges of attempted rape, assault causing actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behavior were dropped against Greenwood in February of this year. All of these charges were related to the same woman, and Greenwood denied all of them.On The Athletic Football Podcast, Adam Crafton, who was the one who broke the story, Laura Williamson, who is the deputy editor of The Athletic, and Laurie Whitwell, who is our United correspondent, explored what has occurred with Mason Greenwood and Manchester United, as well as what may occur in the future.The answer is yes, it most certainly did, Laura Williamson. As is the case with each and every piece, we sent them specific points that were backed up by impeccable sources for comment, and it was up to the club to provide a response.They decided to make that public by first sending a note to the staff and then posting it on the Twitter account for Manchester United for everyone to see.

They stated, “We have heard from numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case,” and that throughout this process, the wellbeing and perspective of the claimed victim has been paramount to the club’s inquiries, and that they respect her choice to remain anonymous for the rest of her life.

They discussed the obligations that they had to Greenwood as an employee, as a young person who had been joining the club for such a long time, and as a new parent who was in a relationship with another person. After that, they stated that the phase of their inquiry that involved gathering facts had been over, and that they were currently in the last phases of making a decision regarding Greenwood’s future circumstances. However, that decision has not yet been made and is currently the subject of extensive internal consideration. The ultimate responsibility for this decision falls with Richard Arnold, who serves as the chief executive officer.Everyone has the right to change their thoughts at any time. However, for whatever reason, the communication of that judgment had been planned to take place, but it was then subject to a delay.

A. Crafton, Adam: My guess is that a significant number of Manchester United fans would have just witnessed the release of that statement, and that the statement would have also been delivered to the inboxes of the Man United staff at approximately the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Richard Arnold sent a different email to the club staff on Monday, in which he essentially laid out the new season, acknowledged that there are a few issues that have not yet been resolved, such as the takeover and the situation with Mason Greenwood, and stated that the club would be in touch with further communication over the next few weeks. This is the most important thing to note about this situation.

As a result, the club’s statement on Wednesday afternoon, which was effectively a non-update, did not constitute a transmission of a decision.

It was something where they clearly felt that, following stories around the pressure that’s being applied to the women’s team over the past week and then also the story that they knew we were planning to publish, they felt they were losing control of the story, losing control of the narrative that had been very carefully choreographed over a great deal of time and had a great deal of planning.I believe that it was an attempt to regain control of the situation, albeit a somewhat desperate one. And, you know, my own interpretation of it is that it provided a window into a club that is restless and a little bit more panicked than usual at this stage about how to handle what is threatening to become a very, very problematic situation from a public relations point of view involving one of their employees.

For what reason is it essential to demonstrate the steps involved in the publication of the story?

A. Crafton, Adam: It’s possible that, as journalists, we sometimes make the assumption that everyone is aware of how all of these things operate, right? In my opinion, it is occasionally beneficial to explain the method by which anything just arrives on a website, provided that it is within reasonable bounds.

On Wednesday, we carried out all of our responsibilities in the appropriate manner.

On our way to the club, we presented the facts in the manner in which we believed them to be accurate. They were given a sufficient amount of time to answer. Because they stated that they were working on the response for us, we also gave them permission to extend the timeframe that they had set for themselves. The statement from the club was then emailed to us, and all of a sudden, it was posted on the website at the same time.As a result, it was very evident to me that the response that the club supplied was, as far as I can tell, a consequence of the reporting that we intended to carry out. I believe that this conclusion is extremely reasonable.

And I believe that it is of the utmost importance that Manchester United supporters who would have just been looking at that and thinking, “What is the purpose of that statement?” have that comprehension.

Will the United women’s squad have been given the opportunity to provide input on the choice that is ultimately made?

A. Crafton, Adam: In the context of this consultation, this suggested consultation with the women’s team, this has emerged as one of the most prominent topics with regard to the consultation.

Throughout the course of this procedure, Manchester United has utilized somewhat different terminology at slightly different times in relation to what will occur with regard to important stakeholders. A variety of terms, such as consultation, engagement, or a pre-briefing, have been used to characterize it at various points in time.

My interpretation is that the phrase “consultation” conveys the idea that “we are really taking into consideration their viewpoints when we make a decision.” “We are going to sit down with these people, whether that’s sponsors or advisors or fan advisory board or the women’s team, and we are basically going to tell them the decision, explain our reasons,” was the statement that I believe Manchester United intended to make, not only at the beginning of August with the proposed announcement, but also at a much earlier point in time. We don’t want it to come as a major surprise to them when they find out about it on social media or on the club website when it finally lands. There will be an opportunity for feedback, but basically, the decision has already been made.

Because you are discussing the connection between an employer and an employee, as well as what could be considered a human resources problem between the two parties, there are those who would claim that this is quite proper.they are the two parties.

People might also say, “Well, it’s not appropriate to delegate a major decision that the club’s hierarchy ought to make onto the shoulders of, you know, the women’s team, some of which are still playing at the World Cup.” This is because the women’s team is still competing in the World Cup. Thus, I can see that from both points of view.

The manner in which all of that is framed has required us to exercise caution. But what has transpired, regardless of the reality of that purpose, is that there has been this notion that the women’s squad will be involved in some way, and as a result, it has led to the harassment of some of these ladies on social media over the course of the past week or so.

Because of supporters who are in favor of Greenwood stating things like, “We’re watching you, we’ll be coming for you,” and other similar statements, we reported that one agent of a Manchester United women’s player was considering enlisting cybersecurity help for his client. This was due to the fact that Greenwood’s supporters have been saying things like these.

Consequently, that has turned out to be one of the most disturbing and disheartening parts of the whole situation. When this meeting took place in the first week of August, it was just as England, with Mary Earps and Katie Zelem (pictured below), were making their way into the knockout stages of the World Cup. Unfortunately, this circumstance is a direct result of a lack of communication from Laura Williamson. We can only speculate as to the reason for the delay in making this decision. In addition, it seems to me that somebody suddenly came to the realization that we cannot publish this while our magnificent female players are competing on the other side of the world and winning.

Therefore, you are putting yourself in a position where England is now competing in the final of the World Cup when you do this. A victory may be theirs. I bet they come out on top! On the other hand, they might be asked once it is over, “What are your thoughts on Mason Greenwood’s return to Manchester United?” It is completely and utterly tasteless.