And what now? Greenwood is a free man, all charges dropped

One year after first being charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, all charges against Manchester United’s Marlon Greenwood has been dropped. The once talented United’s striker has been out of football since, and the last game he played for United was the Premier League fixture against West Ham on January 22 2022. About a week later, on January 30, Greenwood was arrested after a woman made a series of posts on Instagram He was arrested and has been suspended by United ever since.

"Given the significant media coverage of this case, it is only fair that we share the news that the 21-year-old man, who had been arrested and charged in connection with an investigation opened in January 2022, no longer faces criminal proceedings in relation to this. The investigation team has remained in regular contact with the legal team, providing any updates of note, and so understand the rationale for the discontinuation of proceedings at this stage, and that this decision has not been taken lightly” Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr, GMP’s Head of Public Protection said today.

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The police also explained why this case has been dropped, but without much details.

“We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review. In this case 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. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case. We have explained our decision to all parties. We would always encourage any potential victims to come forward and report to police and we will prosecute wherever our legal test is met”.

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A product of the United academy, he has played 129 times for the club, scoring 35 goals and signed a new deal in February 2021, keeping him at Old Trafford until at least 2025. Greenwood made his England debut against Iceland in September 2020, but he and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden were sent home after a breach of the team's coronavirus guidelines. Nike suspended and later terminated its sponsorship deal with Greenwood, while Electronic Arts confirmed his removal from active squads on its FIFA 22 game after the allegations were made.

"Manchester United notes the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service that all charges against Mason Greenwood have been dropped. The club will now conduct its own process before determining next steps. We will not make any further comment until that process is complete" announced the club in a short statement.