MAN Utd’s CEO reportedly told senior staff two weeks ago Mason Greenwood would be welcomed back but the announcement was scrapped.
The club are understood to have planned to make the sensational announcement on August 4 before the new season started.
Mason Greenwood is still waiting to hear about his future at the club
But Greenwood’s future at Man Utd is still in doubt 12 days later with the new season already underway.
Richard Arnold, CEO, had intended to film a video message explaining the decision and outline a plan for his reintegration, The Athletic reports.
This included a guarantee that Greenwood would not make any appearances with the Manchester United Foundation at the start of his return.
But Greenwood would find himself back on the first team – 19 months after he last touched a ball for the club.
He was suspended in January last year after his arrest for attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
The club has remained tight-lipped over whether the star striker will return after they carried out their own probe.
They released a statement this afternoon confirming they are now in the “final stages” of making a decision on Greenwood’s future.
The club added: “Following the dropping of all charges against Mason Greenwood in February 2023, Manchester United has conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations made against him.
“This has drawn on extensive evidence and context not in the public domain, and we have heard from numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case.
“Throughout this process, the welfare and perspective of the alleged victim has been central to the club’s inquiries, and we respect her right to lifelong anonymity.
“We also have responsibilities to Mason as an employee, as a young person who has been with the club since the age of seven, and as a new father with a partner.
“The fact-finding phase of our investigation is now complete, and we are in the final stages of making a decision on Mason’s future.”
Utd also claimed the decision has “not yet been made” and is “currently the subject of intensive internal deliberation”.
They added: “This has been a difficult case for everyone associated with Manchester United, and we understand the strong opinions it has provoked based on the partial evidence in the public domain.
“We ask for patience as we work through the final stages of this carefully considered process.”
Greenwood has remained “in limbo” about his future at Utd after chiefs launched their own five-month probe into the claims.
It is not clear why the announcement about his alleged return was dropped but there are believed to be a number of factors.
These are thought to include speaking with sponsors, the fan’s advisory board, the women’s team and major stakeholders.
Manager Erik ten Hag and the majority of the first team have suggested they were open to the idea of bringing the Greenwood back.
United’s women’s team were understood to have reservations, while sponsors were left concerned about being linked to the footballer.
Greenwood joined Utd aged just six and rose through the ranks to land himself a regular spot on the first team.
In 2019, he became the youngest footballer to play for United in the Champions League when he took to the pitch aged 17.
Greenwood has made 129 appearances in total for the Red Devils and netted 35 goals.
The star has not played for the club since January last year