Getafe manager comments on controversial Mason Greenwood signing

Gefafe manager Jose Bordalas has insisted he will try and help Mason Greenwood get "back to his best level" after making a loan move to the La Liga club.

Manchester United announced in August that they'd come to an agreement with Greenwood that he should continue his footballer career elsewhere following an internal investigation related to the rape and assault charges levelledd at him.

Greenwood was suspended by United in January 2022 after being charged with "attempted rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm" by Greater Manchester Police. Said charges were eventually dropped in February 2023 due to what the Crown Prosecution cited as "a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction."

After United confirmed their intention to part ways with Greenwood, the player was eventually signed on loan by La Liga outfit Getafe in the final hours of the transfer window.

The signing has, as expected, caused controversy in Spain, with Spanish domestic abuse charity Ana Bella Foundation releasing a statement about Getade "setting a terrible example".

"Getafe executives should never have hired Mason Greenwood and should immediately overturn their decision. If you’re a public facing organisation like Getafe there is no excuse to take a neutral stance on violence against women - you must take moral responsibility," the charity said.

In a press conference over the weekend, Getafe manager Bordalas was questioned about the decision to sign the player, replying: "It's too delicate a subject to treat lightly. Everyone knows what happened and the appropriate measures were taken. We can only talk about football, obviously. The relevant bodies did what had to be done.

"Everyone knows what happened and that it ended with a sentence that did not find him guilty [sic]. He's a footballer of an extremely high level and he arrives at Getafe with huge enthusiasm. We will try to help him to get back to his best level."

In his own statement in August, Greenwood was accused of making a misleading claim about his situation when he said he was "cleared of all charges", which is different to charges being dropped. In their statement on the matter in August, Manchester United declared they were satisfied that the player "did not commit the offences in respect of which he was originally charged".

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