Mason Greenwood It will not return to action. Manchester United While Premier League The club will conduct an internal investigation into the allegations against the 21-year-old.
Charges of attempted rape and assault against Greenwood were dropped.
Greenwood, 21, was arrested in January 2022 on charges surrounding the images and videos. The forward was later charged with attempted rape, controlling behavior and coercion and physical assault.
On Thursday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was “no longer any real prospect of a conviction” after key witnesses withdrew their cooperation from the investigation.
But Englishman Greenwood will not return to training or playing as United conduct an internal investigation, which will begin immediately.
In a statement, the club said: “Manchester United have considered the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision to drop all charges against Mason Greenwood.”
“The club will now carry out its own process before deciding on the next steps.
We will not comment until the process is complete.
It is not yet known how long this process will take. United delayed starting its internal investigation until the charges against Greenwood were dismissed so as not to prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings.
Greenwood was due to stand trial in November 2023.
A statement from Greater Manchester Police on Thursday said: “Criminal charges against a 21-year-old man in relation to an investigation which opened in January 2022 have been dropped by the CPS today (Thursday 2 February 2023).
Chief Superintendent Michael Kerr, GMP’s head of public protection, added: “Given the significant media coverage of this case it is only fitting that we share the news of the 21-year-old who has been arrested and charged. An investigation opened in January 2022 will not result in criminal charges.
“The investigative team regularly communicates with the legal team to provide any updates to the memorandum, and at this stage they understand the reason for the suspension of the process, and this decision is not easy.
“Despite the media and public interest in this matter, we have decided not to provide further details.”
A CPS spokesman said. The athletics“We have an obligation to review issues on an ongoing basis.
“The combination of the release of key witnesses in this case and the new material that has come to light means that there is no longer any real prospect of a conviction. In these circumstances, we have an obligation to drop the case.”
“We have explained our decision to all parties.
“We encourage any potential victims to come forward and report it to the police and we will prosecute wherever our legal challenge arises.”
(Photo: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)