Manchester United transfer plans altered by Mason Greenwood as lawyers prepare for court
Mason Greenwood’s lawyers are now preparing for his bail hearing against Manchester United.
The England international was arrested in January for allegedly causing bodily harm to a lady and hasn’t played for the club since their 1-0 victory against West Ham that same month.
There’s no denying his predicament has had an impact on the club’s transfer plans, because if he were available, a new forward wouldn’t be as high on their priority list.
Greenwood has six goals for United prior to his arrest in the new year.
Ralf Rangnick recognised potential in the England international and believed he could extract the best out of a player that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had previously praised for greatness.
Greenwood has been suspended by United since then and will learn today whether his bail has been extended.
Lawyers for the 20-year-old will appear in a closed-door session on Thursday.
According to The Sun, the legal proceedings will not take place in open court , and Greenwood is not forced to attend.
He is currently unable to train and is not available for selection, leaving the youngster’s future in and out of the sport uncertain.
However, there is no disputing that the Greenwood case has influenced United’s transfer strategy. They now want a fresh direction, which was not originally one of their top concerns.
This summer, United realised they needed a midfielder and had shown interest in Frenkie de Jong and Christian Eriksen.
Barcelona is firmly entrenched in their pursuit of De Jong, while Eriksen is available on a free move after leaving Brentford.
Rangnick said that he wants a new forward following Greenwood’s arrest and Anthony Martial’s loan move to Sevilla.
But he was rebuffed, as the club preferred to keep their money until the summer, when they believed there would be better options on the market.
“We lost three strikers, long-term,” the German said in May.
“We should have tried to sign a player in the 48 hours we had, since we knew Mason wouldn’t be available and Anthony had already left on loan.
“We were also aware Edinson [Cavani] might not be available for eight out of 10 games, but we didn’t do it.
“There were a few. [Luis] Diaz, who is now at Liverpool, [Julian] Alvarez, who will be at Manchester City in the summer, and [Dusan] Vlahovic, who at the time was still with Fiorentina.
“The answer was ‘no’ and that was it. I spoke to the board and told them ‘shouldn’t we at least speak and analyse and find if we can at least get a player, on loan or a permanent deal’.
“In the end the answer was ‘no’. Maybe they didn’t want to do any winter business.
“Maybe we should have at least discussed it internally, because it might be necessary and important.
“It would have been short notice anyway but still, 48 hours is 48 hours. It might have been at least worth a try. But we didn’t and it wasn’t done.”
United now realise they need a forward.
And that was not a priority they anticipated in January, when the Greenwood news first emerged.
The Red Devils have always wanted to improve their defence.
They want to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has struggled for consistency throughout his three years at Manchester United.
United are also looking for a centre-back to compete alongside Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, and Victor Lindelof, with Axel Tuanzebe, Eric Bailly, and Phil Jones regarded surplus to requirements.
However, the Red Devils must now increase their offensive capabilities to guarantee that new manager Erik ten Hag is not left short.
United’s sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season means they’ll have to work harder than ever behind the scenes to keep up with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
United didn’t anticipate they’d need another attacker just a few months ago.
Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, and Marcus Rashford were regarded to be a more-than-capable offensive quartet behind the scenes.
However, as their suspended striker prepares for the newest development in his case, things have changed.
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Manchester United transfer plans altered by Mason Greenwood as lawyers prepare for court
