Mason Greenwood came off the bench to a mixed reception as he made his debut in Getafe’s 3-2 victory over Osasuna today.
Greenwood was called for by manager José Bordalás in the 77th minute with the score tied at 2-2.
Greenwood came on in the 77th minute Credit: AP
Greenwood was in the middle of Getafe’s celebrations as they netted a late 3-2 winner Credit: AP
Greenwood won two corners after coming on, with Maksimovic scoring from the second Credit: AP
Greenwood replaced forward Juanmi Latasa to a generally positive reception from the Getafe fans.
It wasn’t the greatest of turnouts however, with just 9,000 fans in the 16,000-capacity Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
The average attendance is around 12,000.
Osasuna fans appeared to jeer the player and were chanting “Greenwood die”, according to The Athletic journalist Guillermo Rai.
It is the first time Greenwood has played in 20 months, with his last game coming for Manchester United against West Ham in January 2022.
The winger was then suspended by United after being arrested on suspicion of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
In February this year, the CPS dropped all criminal charges against Greenwood after “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”.
United’s internal investigation into Greenwood finished in August with the club concluding that he would not play for them.
The statement said: “All those involved, including Mason, recognise the difficulties with him recommencing his career at Manchester United.
Only a fraction of the stadium was occupied throughout the game Credit: Arena Premium 3
“It has therefore been mutually agreed that it would be most appropriate for him to do so away from Old Trafford, and we will now work with Mason to achieve that outcome.”
That’s led to Greenwood being able to continue his footballing career, elsewhere and late on deadline day he joined Getafe on loan.
Greenwood’s 77th minute introduction saw him win two corners in quick succession.
The second led to Getafe taking a 3-2 lead when Nemanja Maksimovic headed home from a Carles Alena corner.
The United loanee was on the end of some agricultural challenges from the CA Osasuna players.
Central midfielder Iker Munoz crunched into Greenwood in a strong challenge in the midfield.
Munoz was not carded for the tackle despite the referee handing out eight cards in the game.
Getafe left-back Fabrizio Angileri was shown a red card in the closing stages of the game despite not making it off the bench.
Greenwood’s next opportunity to play will come next Sunday when Getafe travel to the Basque country to take on Real Sociedad.