At present, Man United loanee, Mason Greenwood, remains persona non grata amongst a large majority of the fan base and English football fans in general.
The 22-year-old appeared to be on the verge of resurrecting his Old Trafford career before a backlash to a leak regarding his integration back into the first-team forced the club to think again.
Greenwood is now plying his trade on loan at La Liga side, Getafe, who are believed to be one of a few Spanish clubs interested in retaining his services.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe soon expected to rubber stamp his 25 percent partial takeover of the club which comes with full control on the sporting side, the Greenwood saga needs to be addressed but has apparently already been a topic of conversation.
‘Incoming co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is already discussing Greenwood’s situation internally, and from what I’m told, he’s made no decision at all and nothing will be decided in December,’ Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, said.
‘So the idea is to take some time and just let Greenwood play football. Then, based on his performances for Getafe, Man United will discuss their position and that of the player. This will likely take place in March, April or May.
‘There will be many different factors to consider, and obviously the new Man United board will have a new CEO and new people in charge of the transfer market, meaning that they will all decide on transfer business together.’
Greenwood’s situation is likely to be one of the most delicate matters that Sir Jim and his team will have to deal with.
The youngster, who was accused of serious sexual assault but never convicted, is clearly a fantastic football player, but United will need to consider what sort of message it sends out to their supporters, particularly female, if they allow him back into the fold.
In many ways, the club are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, and whichever decision they make has to be considered from every angle beforehand.
Thereafter, they will need the courage of their convictions if they have to stand firm against a backlash.