Manchester United’s handling of the Mason Greenwood case has left former club captain Gary Neville fuming.
After sidelining the 21-year-old for over a year, the Red Devils announced on Monday that the parties have mutual consent to go their separate ways.
Greenwood’s nightmare commenced in January 2022 after the leaked images and videos relating to the abuse of a young woman hit the headlines.
With the prodigious forward at the centre of the scandal, Man United took drastic measures to protect the club’s public image, sending their homegrown star on a year-and-a-half sabbatical.
Even after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges against Greenwood in February this year, the youngster has remained out of the picture, awaiting United’s final decision with bated breath.
Unfortunately for him, his worst fears came true on Monday when Erik ten Hag’s superiors announced the break-up with immediate effect, a result heavily expected from day one.
While Neville refused to complain about Man Utd’s verdict, he couldn’t hide his frustration with the longevity of the decision-making process, calling for the club to be stripped of the authority to handle problems of this magnitude.
“They’ve finally got there – it was clear from day one, for me and anybody who saw the evidence that was initially released, that he wouldn’t play for Manchester United again,” he told Sky Sports, as relayed by The Guardian.
“I would say that the process in getting there has been pretty horrible.
“When you have significant and difficult situations like this, it requires an authoritative leadership, that comes the very top and Manchester United don’t have that.
“On an issue like domestic abuse and violence against women, there needs to be independence.
“It shouldn’t be that Manchester United are the judge and jury on such a significant issue, not just for themselves but also for the game.
“People talk about the reputation [hit] to Manchester United, but it’s the Premier League here as well.
“My view on issues of this importance and severity is they should be dealt with independently by a panel because it’s been clear that Manchester United have not had the skill and the ability to deal with this situation properly.
“It’s been well above their grade of experience and ability.”
