MASON Greenwood’s Manchester United future could be potentially impacted by a major ownership change.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is understood to be closing in on securing a 25 per cent minority stake in the club.
That was after Sheikh Jassim pulled out of the race to own United after accusing the Glazers of demanding an “outlandish” price to sell the club.
Now Sir Jim, who is believed to be proposing to purchase a stake worth about £1.4billion for a quarter of the Red Devils, is the only option left on the table.
A meeting of the Old Trafford board on Thursday will decide whether to accept INEOS Group owner Ratcliffe’s offer and his demand for “sporting control”.
And if his bid is successful, Sir Jim will have a number of huge decisions to make if he takes control of the football side of things.
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One of these may involve a decision swirling around Mason Greenwood’s future.
Greenwood, 22, headed to Getafe on loan on transfer deadline day and spoke out after scoring his first professional goal for nearly two years
Greenwood was arrested in January last year following charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
However, all charges were dropped in February by the Crown Prosecution Service and Greenwood maintains his innocence.
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We previously reported that that Ratcliffe will be keen to prove it is a “fresh start” for the club if his bid is successful.
And Ratcliffe may be wary of bringing the striker back with staff previously reported to have voiced their discontent in a meeting last month.
The meeting had been called to address spiralling concerns over the handling of the Greenwood case with fury directed towards CEO Richard Arnold.
Greenwood also reportedly wants to stay at Getafe after settling in Spain, so Ratcliffe may well let him stay in La Liga permanently.
It means Britain’s richest man is likely to not risk causing fresh uproar and may sanction the former England international’s exit.
The complex situation would also depend on which staff Ratcliffe would like to retain if his bid is successful.
Journalist Mike Keegan has speculated that Sir Jim’s potential arrival could see an overhaul on the pitch.
STATEMENT SIGNING
And it has been thought that Ratcliffe and his team will want to make their mark at Old Trafford in the forms of a “statement signing” to win fans over.
Sheikh Jassim had his sights set on bringing Kylian Mbappe to United and a big-money arrival of that calibre would definitely give disgruntled fans something to smile about.
Any genuine superstar arrival would likely be a striker, meaning a potential Greenwood comeback would be off the cards permanently.
But Utd are currently restricted by FFP regulations so a huge expenditure is unlikely despite the change in ownership.
Greenwood does only have one year left on his contract so selling him could bolster the budget for the next stage of Erik ten Hag’s project.
Ratcliffe could also bring a new sporting director to Manchester United if his bid for a 25 per cent stake of the club is accepted.
A major overhaul of football operations off the pitch is also expected at Old Trafford.
‘FRESH START’
Keegan revealed yesterday that a number of executives could be shown the door at Old Trafford, with Ratcliffe expected to appoint his own staff.
Speaking on the latest episode of Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast, Keegan said United’s CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough will be seriously concerned about their jobs.
“There is a belief that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team have their expertise there, they have a plan for what they want to do and people ready to come in,” he said.
“So if it is the football operation, I’d have thought people like John Murtough and Richard Arnold will be looking over their shoulders.”
It was reported by The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson that the current regime consider Greenwood “their best player”.
However, a new regime coming in may have different thoughts on the matter and could show the striker the exit door for good.
Previous reports have explained that it is unlikely that Greenwood would ever be brought back into the side, but it cannot be ruled out considering the seismic changes that are due to happen at the club across the next six months.
It comes as Patrick Vieira, who worked with Ratcliffe at Nice, believes the minority stake purchase could spell good news for United and gaffer Erik Ten Hag.
The former Arsenal legend said that Sir Jim was a not a constricting presence on any manager.
“He’d never interfere with my work,” he told FourFourTwo magazine earlier this year.
“We’d talk about football when we met, about the team and our lives, but he’s not an owner who will get involved too much and prevent the manager from doing his job.
“His ambitions and expectations are high, so you know where you stand, but you can do your job freely.”
Whether that will result in a return for Greenwood or not when his loan at Getafe expires, remains to be seen.
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It comes after reports that security is being beefed up at Old Trafford ahead of their next home game amid the bombshell news that the Glazer family are staying.
INEOS Group have been contacted for comment.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
