Will Mason Greenwood play for Manchester United again?
Mason Greenwood could soon be playing again.
Whether the striker does – and where – remains unclear, despite the rape and assault charges against him being dropped.
Manchester United wants time to consider the fate of the 21-year-old.
One of the key elements in its assessment may be whether the club’s sponsors would accept Greenwood wearing their logos, a lawyer told Sky News.
For a year, Manchester United has left the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after the player was accused of attempted rape and assault in an investigation launched after allegations surfaced in video and images.
The CPS said it had a “duty to stop the case” following the “withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”.
Greenwood was on the way to being a key part of the Old Trafford team when his career was halted in January 2022 by the opening of the criminal investigation.
He has remained under de facto suspension since, agreeing to stay away from training and not play.
Sponsors, including Nike, were quicker to cut ties with him.
But Manchester United has to assess whether Greenwood’s conduct towards a woman should prevent him from playing for them again.
Simon Leaf, a lawyer and head of sport at Mishcon de Reya, told Sky News: “Manchester United do really find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
“On the one hand, they will be looking at the contract and whether they’ve got the right to terminate it.
“On the other hand, if they do take action and they do terminate the contract wrongfully, then they could well find themselves subject to a further claim by Mason Greenwood himself, who would potentially have the right to bring a claim for wrongful termination, which would effectively lead to the club having to pay out the full value of his contract.”
A graduate of the Manchester United academy, Greenwood would find somewhere in the world wanting him in their team.
And with a contract until 2025, he would once have been valued at tens of millions of pounds.
Greenwood is a graduate of the United academy. Pic: AP
Cancelling that contract would prove costly for Manchester United, but could be the right decision morally, in their minds, even though Greenwood has not been convicted.
It could be determined by whether Manchester United’s sponsors can accept seeing Greenwood adorned with their logos, and the prospect of protests against him playing – including by the club’s own fans.
Mr Leaf said: “Manchester United is one of the most valuable brands in world football and their commercial partnerships are particularly important to the club.
“Many of those partnerships will include very strict anti-embarrassment clauses which would effectively allow a sponsor to walk away if they don’t feel that the club has dealt with this kind of situation correctly and has caused them and the club sponsor further embarrassment.
“So they will be very mindful of that when looking at the Mason Greenwood situation when considering whether they do need to take more decisive action to make sure their sponsors continue associating themselves with the club.”
It is a complex situation for Manchester United to navigate, just as the future of the club is in flux with the owning Glazer family searching for investors – potentially leading to a sale.
Mr Leaf said: “Clearly the present owners won’t want to do anything that may affect the value that they are able to achieve on the market.
“It’s a really delicate balance that they are going to need to take over the coming days and weeks on this particular matter.”
Manchester United has set no timeframe for the internal process that will determine whether one of its brightest prospects ever plays for the club again.
Greenwood has only said that he is “relieved that this matter is now over” – offering no indication of any determination to resume his playing career.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
Read more from Sky News:
Ten Reform councillors quit in protest
Liz Truss sends cease and desist letter to Starmer
As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway