Television presenter Rachel Riley says she will stop supporting Manchester United if forward Mason Greenwood stays at the club.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!United say no decision has been made about his future, which is the “subject of intensive internal deliberation”.
Forward Greenwood, 21, had criminal charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, dropped.
“I won’t be able to support United if Greenwood remains at the club,” Riley said on Thursday.
Writing on social media, Countdown co-presenter Riley added: “We’ve all seen and heard enough. Pretending this is OK would be a huge part of the problem.
“It would be devastating for my club to contribute to a culture that brushes this under the carpet. I really hope they do the right thing.”
An announcement from United on Greenwood was expected before Monday’s Premier League opener against Wolves but was delayed.
In a statement on Wednesday, United said the “fact-finding phase” of their investigation was now complete.
They added a decision about Greenwood’s future – which “ultimately rests” with chief executive officer Richard Arnold – was in the final stages.
It is thought United’s direction of travel was for Greenwood to return in some form, but the fierceness of debate around his future, among other things, has made them pause.
United said they had gathered “extensive evidence and context not in the public domain” and spoke to “numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case”.
Fans protested outside Old Trafford against Greenwood’s potential return before the Wolves game and a group of female United supporters said they want the club to “demonstrate a zero tolerance approach” towards violence against women.
Female Fans Against Greenwood’s Return put out a lengthy statement to say Greenwood’s reintegration “tells us, as women, that we don’t matter”.
BBC Sport contacted Greenwood’s lawyers for a response to the planned protest, but they declined to comment.
Greenwood has been unavailable for selection since his arrest in January 2022 and has not been involved at the club’s Carrington training ground.
His United contract runs until June 2025.
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