Mason Greenwood left Manchester United in 2024 and is currently playing for Marseille in Ligue 1
Marseille sporting director Medhi Benatia was reportedly keen on offloading former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood after concerns about his commitment and work rate. That’s according to reports in France who claim the 38-year-old wanted to sell the striker prior to finishing as joint Ligue 1 top-goalscorer with 21 goals last season.
Greenwood finished level with PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, scoring six goals in eight matches towards the end of the campaign to help Marseille qualify for the Champions League.
La Provence claim Benatia wanted to sell the 24-year-old due to his lack of defensive contribution, with Greenwood reported to have avoided the sporting director around the club.
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It was a view shared by former boss Roberto De Zerbi, who dropped Greenwood from the Marseille starting line-up against Lens and PSG in March last year.
At the time, De Zerbi said: “I expect more from him. He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough.
“If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.”
The former Brighton boss later said: “Greenwood is a very good person whom I love, as I love his father. He’s had a bit of a tough time lately because he had a daughter who was born, and I don’t think he’s used to playing such an intense season and being a main player. I think he paid for it physically.
“That is to say that he didn’t push himself and wasn’t 100% as I wanted in training, in terms of what I expect from a player like him.
“His physical condition has declined a little, but my project in Marseille is not only to qualify for the Champions League, it is also to create something like what Luis Enrique has created (at PSG). He has created a team, a group of strong players, but with a soul.”
Greenwood would go on to become a key player for the Ligue 1 side and has scored 25 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Marseille this season.
Several high profile European clubs including Barcelona, Napoli and Atletico Madrid have been credited with an interest.
United sold the forward for £26.6m and also added significant sell-on clause as part of the deal.