How Man Utd plan to reintegrate Mason Greenwood into squad including potential TV interview

Details of how Manchester United plan to reintegrate Mason Greenwood to the squad - should they decide to keep the forward - have emerged in a new report.

United released a public statement on Wednesday to deny that a final decision has been made over Greenwood's future, following reports chief executive Richard Arnold recently told senior staff the striker was set to return to the fold.

Greenwood was suspended by the Premier League club in January 2022 after being arrested and later charged with attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour and assault.

All charges against Greenwood were dropped earlier this year after key witnesses withdrew their involvement in the case and new material came to light during the police investigation.

Greenwood has not trained with the first team or been available to play since he was first arrested and remains suspended while the club conducts an internal investigation into his behaviour.

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that United chief executive Arnold told the club's executive leadership in the first week of August that United were planning to bring back Greenwood.

The proposed date for the announcement was Friday, August 4 but that date came and passed without any statement from the club.

United have since confirmed that Greenwood remains suspended and that a final decision is yet to be made.

However, details have now emerged of how United plan to reintegrate the player, should they keep him at Old Trafford.

"The plan laid out by Arnold that week was that Greenwood would not make any appearances with the club’s charitable arm, the Manchester United Foundation, in the short to medium term, even though the club would be bringing him back to the first-team set-up," The Athletic reported.

It followed another report from same publication from last week that claimed United were considering allowing Greenwood to conduct a TV interview to address the situation.

"United are understood to have discussed a phased process that would include encouraging the player to receive counselling, as well as the possibility of exposing him to a television interview in which he is challenged on the events that have brought him to this point," read the report.

Greenwood, who has been suspended on full pay pending the outcome of the investigation, is under contract with United until 2025.

He has been taking part in an individual training programme for several months away from the club's Carrington base as he awaits the club's decision.

United manager Erik ten Hag has refused to rule out the player returning to the squad.

In an interview with The Times earlier this year, Ten Hag said that Greenwood had "showed in the past that he is capable of doing that [centre forward role]" - but said a decision over his future would be made by the club.

Greenwood has not played for United in 20 months, with his last appearance for the club coming against West Ham on January 22, 2022.

SPORTbible has contacted Manchester United for comment.