Mason Greenwood fearful that 'feud with Cristiano Ronaldo' could block Saudi move

The 21-year-old is searching for a new employer as Manchester United announced he will be leaving the club

Manchester United and England striker Mason Greenwood has been missing from action since January 2022 after he was charged with various allegations of sexual assault. All of his charges were dropped in February 2023, giving rise to speculation whether the suspended striker will be seen in a Manchester United shirt again.

 The story continued to be topsy-turvy for a while and it was once being reported that Greenwood might make a comeback to Old Trafford. However, fan sentiment was by and large against his comeback. After a few weeks of rife speculation, it was announced that he would be leaving the squad and moving on.

The decision came while keeping the reputation of the Manchester United brand and recognition around the world as the club didn’t want to be associated with someone of his history. At the same the decision was also considered Greenwood’s position as playing under intense media scrutiny would not be beneficial to own career rebuild.

Greenwood was linked to a move to Jose Mourinho managed AS Roma, however the team distanced itself from the player. He was heavily linked to a move to Saudi side Al-Ettifaq managed by Steven Gerrard. However, a ghost from his past may stop his career rebuild dead in his tracks.

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Mason Greenwood had called Cristiano Ronaldo’s career “dead’’ during his time at Real Madrid, this was in a period when Ronaldo’s performance for the Los Blancos was uncharacteristically poor. The comment was brought to light three months after the five-time Ballon d’or winner moved to Al-Nassr from Manchester United. Ronaldo was reportedly furious at the comment, and urged team bosses to not consider a move for his former Manchester United teammate. A source, talking about Ronaldo’s discontent with Greenwood said. –

“Ronaldo isn’t known for his thick skin.”

“He was really annoyed at what Greenwood said — but he has good reason to be when you consider what Ronaldo has achieved in his career and where Greenwood finds himself.

“Greenwood had his nose put out of joint when Ronaldo signed for United because he ended up playing a lot less than he had hoped for, so their relationship was difficult.”

The source added: “Ronaldo is treated as royalty in Saudi and what he says goes.”

Ronaldo was the first superstar signing for the Saudi Pro League, he has since them become the face of the league and has also been a de-facto ambassador for the country of Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo is expected to be the face of any bids Saudi Arabia makes to host future international football tournaments.

A source from Al-Ettifaq, a team managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and the only Saudi team linked with him dismissed their supposed interest in the striker as “fake news”.

Greenwood being outcast from the Saudi League is not only a direct result of Ronaldo’s influence, it is also a culmination of changing football culture in the middle eastern country.

The Saudi Women’s League is scheduled to kick off from September 11, it will involve female players playing without headgear in front of male fans for the first time.

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