Man Utd rule out Mason Greenwood ‘return’ as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s asking price emerges
According to reports, Manchester United have reached a verdict on Mason Greenwood’s potential ‘return’ to the club in the summer.
At the start of 2023, Greenwood was facing charges relating to attempted rape and assault but his case ended up being discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service.
This decision was made after a withdrawal of key witnesses ensured that there was no longer a realistic chance of conviction.
It was heavily reported ahead of this season that Man Utd were planning for his return but they were forced into a late U-turn following severe backlash from staff and members of the media.
The Red Devils subsequently made an effort to find Greenwood a new home and he joined La Liga side Getafe on loan after he was linked with several European and Saudi Pro League clubs.
The 22-year-old has been in good form for Getafe this season as he has grabbed five goals and five assists in his 21 appearances across all competitions.
His form has fuelled talk linking him with a couple of elite clubs and Barcelona are among the teams understood to be interested in him heading into this summer.
Last month, a source for The Sun said: “Barcelona want to sign Greenwood, and he wants to move there. The next step is for the clubs to come to an agreement.”
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READ MORE: Premier League winners and losers… Kompany and Moyes out but Hojlund and Liverpool very much in
They added: “Manchester United want to sell the player and the manager has accepted Greenwood won’t be returning. The view is that it is best for all parties to have a clean break. As talented as Greenwood is, a return to the club when they are at the start of a new chapter, with new owners, is regarded as a backward step.
“A deal with Barcelona is likely to include a number of add-ons depending on games Mason goes on to play for them and possibly for England too.
“Mason is setting his sights on playing for his country again one day. Time will tell on that, but for the moment Mason is focused on further making a name for himself in La Liga. He hit the ground running at Getafe and played well which is why Barcelona want him.”
Sport1 journalist Christopher Michel has now provided an update on Greenwood’s future and he claims there “will be no return to Man Utd in the summer”.
He tweeted: “There will be no return to Manchester United. He is currently playing for FC Getafe and is convinced there.
“Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona show interest. United hopes for a transfer fee of 40 million euros. Contract until 2025.”
READ MORE: Mediawatch… Erik ten Hag ‘tactical tweak’ revealed as Dalot dares to be friends with Ronaldo
Neville: Villa, Spurs feeling pressure with Man Utd back in CL race
Gary Neville says Aston Villa and Tottenham will be "feeling the pressure" as Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag admitted his side were "back in the race" for the top four.
United narrowed the gap on fifth-placed Tottenham to three points with a 2-1 victory at Luton after Spurs were beaten at home by Wolves on Saturday.
Ten Hag's improving side have now won four consecutive games to sit five points behind fourth-placed Villa and Sky Sports' Neville reckons they will relish the chase for Champions League football.
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"You can feel Ten Hag is more confident in his team and that they're in a better place," said Neville. "He'll fancy hunting down Tottenham and Villa for the top four. They'll be feeling the pressure.
"I'm not saying Man Utd will get there but there is a bit between their teeth."
Rasmus Hojlund continued his scoring streak with two goals in the opening seven minutes but United squandered opportunities to move further ahead and Luton rallied.
"United deserved to win," said Neville "The second-half performance was better and more measured than the first. The first 10 minutes were fantastic but for 30 minutes Luton could have scored two or three. Luton's final third let them down in the second half but United defended pretty well.
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"United were professional in the second half. They lost their discipline in the first half. (Harry) Maguire and Casemiro had to be hooked at half time. They were all over the place at times. That's what they are, they are inconsistent."
But United have found some form with wins over Aston Villa, West Ham and Wolves which has got Ten Hag believing.
"We are back in the race and are building momentum," said the Manchester United boss. "We need to build the pressure on them. Every game is a final to get close.
"It could've been an easy game after 10 minutes but we made it a difficult game as we didn't take the chances. We had big chances with (Alejandro) Garnacho and (Marcus) Rashford and then we dropped too deep. We allowed them back in the game.
"Maybe it was too easy in the first 10 minutes - you see with some players they go a little bit less, you can't afford to do that against a side like Luton who are on an upward trend. You have to be 100 per cent focused and that's what we lost after 10 minutes."
Ten Hag revealed he took experienced duo Harry Maguire and Casemiro off at half-time because he couldn't risk them being sent off.
"I saw the reaction of the referees and I thought the next one [foul] they would go off," he said. "I didn't take the risk. We had good replacements in (Scott) McTominay and (Jonny) Evans. It was the right decision as the performance of those two was very good.
The Manchester United manager also back Hojlund to continue his scoring streak.
"We recruited him as he's a strong character," added Ten Hag. "Although he's 21 he can really perform under stress. That's what you need as a Manchester United striker. He doesn't get nervous or lose confidence when he's not scoring.
"Once you are in a run, you see it, now he's scoring and he's in. That's how he is now. He has a lot of confidence and I'm sure he'll score more."
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The 10 Premier League players with the most goals and assists in 2024: Hojlund, Saka…
Forwards from Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United are among the Premier League stars that have started 2024 with a bang.
We’ve taken a closer look at the 10 players to have registered the most goals and assists so far this calendar year, and the list is an interesting mix of proven superstars and surprise challengers.
Note: if two players are tied on goals and assists, we’ve ordered them by their per-minute ratio.
Leandro Trossard, Rodrigo Munoz, Elijah Adebayo, Richarlison, Phil Foden, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Matheus Cunha, Bruno Guimaraes, Cole Palmer, Dominic Solanke, Martin Odegaard, Conor Bradley, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice and Ivan Toney have all notched four goals and assists in 2o24 but just miss out on cracking the top 10.
10. Cody Gakpo – 4
Beating the above 14 names to sneak into our top 10 by virtue of fewer minutes played, Gakpo is a comparatively unheralded member of Liverpool’s free-scoring attack but has tended to deliver when called upon of late.
Five of his six Premier League appearances in 2024 have been off the bench, and he’s come on and scored against Newcastle, assisted against Bournemouth and notched one of each in the 4-1 win at Brentford.
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9. Luis Diaz – 5
The Colombian winger has drawn some criticism for not being as productive with his goal output as some of his fellow Liverpool forwards, but Diaz isn’t doing too badly for himself since the turn of the year.
Diaz scored and assisted in the 4-1 win over Chelsea and has looked lively against Arsenal, Burnley and Brentford. He’s also scored against Fulham and Arsenal to help Liverpool progress in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup respectively.
8. Kevin De Bruyne – 5
On his first appearance since suffering a serious injury on the opening weekend, the brilliant Belgian scored one and set up another as Manchester City came from behind to beat Newcastle.
De Bruyne then went on to set up goals in wins over Burnley, Brentford and Everton before drawing a blank in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
He also scored and assisted in City’s 3-1 Champions League win over Copenhagen. Probably the best player in England right now, along with…
7. Mohamed Salah – 5
Liverpool’s Egyptian King tops this list when it comes to goals-and-assists-per-minute, having made just two Premier League appearances either side of going away to AFCON and being sidelined with injury.
Salah scored twice and set up another in Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day and returned with another goal and assist off the bench in the 4-1 win over Brentford.
That’s a goal or an assist every 27 minutes in 2024. Outrageous.
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QUIZ: Can you name every player to have scored 100 Premier League goals?
6. Darwin Nunez – 6
No player has missed more big chances in the Premier League this season, so we’d be lying if we said that Nunez has completely smoothed out his rough edges in 2023-24, but he’s also been an incredibly important figure in Liverpool’s title charge – and hunt for four trophies – with 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
Six of those direct goal contributions have come in the league since the turn of the year. He’s either scored or assisted in all but one of his Premier League appearances in 2024, with that delightful lob against Brentford the pick of the bunch.
5. Ollie Watkins – 6
With 53 goals in 134 appearances for Aston Villa, Watkins has quietly established himself as one of the most consistently reliable goalscorers in the Premier League – arguably at the front of the queue for that Harry Kane back-up spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Villa’s form has been a little patchy in 2024, but their No.11 remains dependable as ever with four goals and two assists in five appearances.
4. Carlton Morris – 6
“Guys are going to have such a good time remembering Luton players in a decade” read one of the best tweets of the season. Those nostalgic pub chats of 2034 will have to include the Hatters’ main man up top.
It remains to be seen whether Luton will stay up, but they’re making a hell of a fist of it – and Morris is enjoying a spectacular purple patch.
The 28-year-old journeyman has scored or assisted in each of his five Premier League appearances in 2024, doing both in the madcap 4-4 draw at Newcastle.
3. Diogo Jota – 7
The fifth(!) Liverpool forward in this top 10, Jota has been on fire in 2024, notching nine goals and assists in all competitions (seven in the Premier League).
But the Portugal international looks set for another extended spell on the sidelines, having been stretched off after suffering what looked to be a nasty injury away at Brentford.
Fortunately for Liverpool, with Salah back and the most stacked attack in all of European football, they’ll probably make do just fine without him.
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READ: Alisson, Szoboszlai and Jota make up a ridiculous full XI of injured Liverpool players
2. Bukayo Saka – 7
There were suggestions that Saka was looking a little jaded as Arsenal suffered a mid-season slump, struggling to score as they saw out 2023 with back-to-back defeats against West Ham and Fulham.
But the winter break appears to have done Mikel Arteta’s Gunners – and Saka in particular – the world of good as they’ve returned looking revitalised, notching five successive wins and producing what’s arguably been their most complete football of Arteta’s reign so far.
The 22-year-old has either scored or assisted in each of those victories, notching six goals in his last four appearances.
1. Rasmus Hojlund – 8
It famously took Hojlund until Boxing Day, his 15th Premier League appearance, to open his account in the competition. But he’s never looked back ever since scoring that late winner over Aston Villa, notching in every one of his Premier League outings since.
The Denmark international has six goals and two assists in five league games in 2024. That’s a direct hand in eight of the 13 goals that Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils have scored this calendar year.
“I never doubted myself but of course, you can be a bit down when you don’t score. I knew it was just a matter of time,” Hojlund said after scoring twice in the opening seven minutes against Luton.
“I was learning my team-mates and knowing their positioning. I always try to do my best.”
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Kevin De Bruyne’s new role exposes cracks in Manchester City’s midfield
When others go backwards, Kevin De Bruyne looks forwards. It can be a description of his passing, a risk-taker often eschewing the safe option in a quest to create. But it is true positionally, too: last season De Bruyne noted that, in the latter years of their careers, many an attack-minded midfielder has retreated into a deeper role. It was the case with Steven Gerrard, who went from a No 10 to a No 6. Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas were often found nearer the base of the midfield than the tip in their footballing dotage. Christian Eriksen spends more time nearer his own penalty box than he used to. Wayne Rooney was the forward who tried to reinvent himself as a midfielder.
Then there is De Bruyne, the midfielder who has become a quasi-forward, the No 10 who could double up as a No 6. Not any more. Pep Guardiola has ruled out using him as a more defensive midfielder. “No,” he said. “He has to be in the final third. He is not there to defend deeper. I want Kevin in the final third because his huge talent is there.”
That huge talent has rendered him versatile for much of his career: right winger at times, false nine, most notably in a Champions League final, he was the man who coined the phrase “free eight” and played the role better than anyone else. But there have been times when De Bruyne has shown the discipline to operate in a double pivot. His long-range passing means he can still unlock a defence from his own half.
But Guardiola was a very different type of holding midfielder; a European Cup winner as a player, he self-deprecatingly said on Saturday that he scored 11 goals in 11 years, whereas De Bruyne is two off a century in City colours alone. The Belgian’s best position has never entailed restraining and restricting him. Now, however, Guardiola sees him purely as an auxiliary attacker.
“When you attack the final third he can move with freedom [to the] right or left and make his incredible talent,” he explained. “But sometimes in the moments you have to defend. The role from Rodri or [Ilkay] Gundogan last season or Bernardo [Silva] or [Mateo] Kovacic this year, he has not.”
All of which was instructive, but perhaps also illustrated the faultlines in this City midfield and made them atypical for a Guardiola side. De Bruyne will never be a metronome in the manner of a quintessential Guardiola holding player. If he has the skills to be the quarterback, he is instead the trequartista. But it was notable that, on Saturday against Chelsea, when City could have benefited from a deeper De Bruyne, he instead operated in a more advanced role than Julian Alvarez, a World Cup-winning centre-forward.
He can seem a second striker: on Saturday, City almost played 4-2-4. If part of the thinking is to get Erling Haaland’s supplier-in-chief close to the Norwegian, it also utilises one of his greatest attributes: he put in 22 crosses, an absurd number, against Chelsea.
There is a logic to using him in the final third: De Bruyne has long been more productive than most forwards. There is an evolution, too: in 2021-22, he scored a career-best 19 goals, compensating when City lacked a specialist centre-forward. Last year, he registered 29 assists.
The problems come behind De Bruyne. Guardiola, the manager who has cherished and collected midfielders, can look suddenly short of them. This weekend, with neither Silva nor Kovacic fully fit, it felt Rodri was on his own, isolated amid the disappearance of the rest of the midfield. He doubled up as the scorer, extending his own unbeaten run – he has not lost a club game for over a year – with an equaliser.
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Yet his is a huge burden. Kovacic is injury prone. Kalvin Phillips is exiled, sent off as his almost comically bad West Ham career took another wrong turn. Matheus Nunes was benched, in another vote of no confidence. Alvarez tries but is not really a midfielder. Manuel Akanji struggled in the hybrid role of defender and midfielder that it feels increasingly apparent that only John Stones can really play.
A theme of City’s season is that they miss Gundogan: in so many ways, but including his ability to knit together play with his passes, to operate behind the ball and not just as a box-crashing goalscorer, to play in a duo with Rodri when required. If De Bruyne is no longer a deeper option, that is exacerbated.
City could do with two Silvas in their squad: the Portuguese may be both Guardiola’s preferred choice on the right wing and alongside Rodri. “The best midfielder in the world by far,” said Guardiola; that was no slight on De Bruyne, a de facto forward for him now.
On Saturday, with the Belgian in the final third, City were too open in transition and lacked their usual control. And if Rodri is the world’s best midfielder, he was City’s one-man midfield.
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