It seems that everyone has an opinion on how Man United have conducted their business during this summer’s transfer window, and that’s extended to former professional player turned broadcaster, Chris Sutton.
The ex-Chelsea man isn’t happy with what’s been happening at Old Trafford, particularly in relation to the Mason Greenwood scenario.
So much has been said and written about whether the club should have brought the player back into the fold, before ultimately deciding it wasn’t in their best interests.
That hasn’t stopped Sutton giving his two penneth.
“Manchester United only had one decision to make and they got there in the end,” he said on the Daily Mail’s It’s All Kicking off! podcast.
“It was the only decision (they could make), the sensible decision. No, (he can) absolutely not (play in this country again). The pressure on his team-mates and the scrutiny on whichever club he went to, that’s a no-no.
“He will have to move abroad and just try to repair his career.
“[…] It can’t happen (a move to an English club, it won’t happen. I think from the outside looking in, I think, the country where he may end up playing is Saudi Arabia.”
With such a backlash to United’s apparent dithering, it’s no wonder that Sutton also feels that the finger needs to be pointed at United’s CEO, Richard Arnold.
“I suppose scrutiny will be on Manchester United and Richard Arnold, especially because of how long they took to make this decision, but they got there in the end” he added.
“There’s no doubt about it this has taken too long to come to a conclusion. Richard Arnold is paid a hell of a lot of money to make big decisions and be decisive at Manchester United.
“But, I think it has to be said that he seems to have faffed around with this one, tried to tiptoe around a situation and get outside opinion.
“It seems to have backfired and I suppose his position must come under scrutiny because if he can’t be decisive and make these big decisions then it’s going to be a problem for him.”
If, as The Sun report, Sheikh Jassim will takeover the club in mid-October, then it’s highly likely that Arnold will be out of a job in any event.
For Mason Greenwood, the situation is entirely different. Whichever club decides to take a chance on the player runs the risk of alienating a significant portion of their fan base.
There may even come a point, if the youngster can’t find a new club, that he has to accept that his alleged misdemeanours have cost him his football career.