England manager rules out Greenwood return
England manager Thomas Tuchel has put an end to speculations that Mason Greenwood could potentially return to the team, stating that the forward is not currently on his radar.
According to an ESPN report, Tuchel said he has had no communication with Greenwood or his representatives and pointed to the player’s intention to represent Jamaica.
“I have not spoken to him until now,” Tuchel told ESPN. “I have not spoken to him or his camp. My understanding was that he tries to play for Jamaica so we didn’t give it another thought. He was not in the mix at the moment and he is not in our thoughts for our team.”
Greenwood, 23, was suspended by Manchester United in January 2022 following allegations involving a young woman, after images and videos circulated online. He was facing charges including attempted rape and assault; however, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case in February 2023.
For the 2023-24 season, Greenwood was loaned to Getafe before completing a permanent transfer to Marseille last year. He also began the process of switching his international allegiance from England to Jamaica, having acquired a Jamaican passport. However, he is yet to complete the requisite paperwork.
That uncertainty has frustrated Jamaica coach Steve McClaren, who had hoped to include Greenwood in the Reggae Boyz squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago.
“We acquired a passport and we expected him to be coming to this camp,” McClaren was quoted saying, “But in a conversation with his family, [we found out] he’s not going to commit at this time to anybody.”
“He’s taking his time over that, so it’s a little bit disappointing. We probably have to be more patient, but we will keep the contact, we will keep pursuing him because I know from my conversations with Mason and his family that he loves Jamaica, respects Jamaica.
“He wants to concentrate on club football and not commit to an international team at the present moment. We have to respect that, however much we’ve worked hard to get him here for these camps. So, who knows in the future,” McClaren added.
