Steven Gerrard, manager of Saudi Pro League club, Al-Ettifaq, has responded to the rumours of castaway Manchester United player Mason Greenwood joining his club.
The 21-year-old was arrested in January 2022 for domestic violence and abuse charges, leading to the suspension of his football career. The charges against him were later dropped and he has been in career limbo for most of 2023.
Manchester United, after initial consideration to reinstate the player, announced earlier this week that they were not going to tow that route. Instead, the club claimed that they would “work to find a solution” for Greenwood’s future. The Englishman’s contract with the club has been deactivated but he will only earn his pay, not play for the club or train in its facilities.
United, meanwhile, will look for a loan deal or a permanent sale to get him off their books before the 2023 summer transfer window ends.
Links to Saudi Arabian teams began to spring up after United’s statement with many pointing towards Al-Ettifaq, managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. However, the former Aston Villa coach has now come out to debunk the news linking him to Greenwood’s signing.
Gerrard took to his Instagram with a screenshot of Daily Mail’s coverage of the story and plastered a “FAKE NEWS” text over the screenshot. It also emerged that Saudi clubs are trying to distance themselves from Greenwood because they are working to strengthen their reputation in world football and the player is a touchy subject.
Former Manchester United manager José Mourinho was also reportedly considering taking the player to Italy to play for his AS Roma side. But like Steven Gerrard, officials from the Roma camp dismissed the news as false.
Greenwood’s name reportedly started popping up in the Roma circles because the capital club are still looking for a forward to fill in for the injured Tammy Abraham. The former Chelsea man picked up a knee injury towards the end of the season that will keep him out until 2024; towards the end of the 2023/24 season.
They have signed Andrea Belotti who scored two on his debut for the club. However, he failed to score a single goal in the Serie A last season and Mourinho is not certain about relying on him for most of the season. Greenwood, however, is not an option.
Meanwhile, it looks like Greenwood will not be without a club for long. It is understood that some other clubs in Italy and a number of clubs in Turkey are looking towards signing the youngster.
