- Mason Greenwood was dropped to the bench for matches against Lens and PSG
- The forward has scored 15 goals in 26 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season
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Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi has revealed the reason why Mason Greenwood has been dropped to the bench in recent matches.
The 23-year-old striker is still in the hunt for the Ligue 1 golden boot after netting 15 goals in 26 games for the French giants.
However, after being a guaranteed starter for much of the season, Greenwood has had to make do with appearances from the bench for clashes against Lens and Paris Saint-Germain.
Reports in France had suggested that the attacker was dropped as he is falling short of his work rate expectations, and could head for the exit at the end of the season.
De Zerbi was quick to address the issue in his press conference on Friday, claiming Greenwood is not accustomed to the intense workload he had has this season.
‘We need to clarify the Mason Greenwood case a little, because you journalists are always in a position to change things a little, to create some scoops, because you have to do what all journalists do a little bit which is to make a little bit of chaos,’ the former Brighton boss said.
Roberto De Zerbi has revealed the reason why Mason Greenwood has been dropped to the bench in recent matches
The forward had to make do with appearances from the bench against Lens and PSG
Greenwood is still in the hunt for the Ligue 1 golden boot after netting 15 goals in 26 games
‘Greenwood is a very good person whom I love, as I love his father.
‘He’s had a bit of a tough time lately because he had a daughter who was born, and I don’t think he’s used to playing such an intense season and being a main player. I think he paid for it physically.
‘That is to say that he didn’t push himself and wasn’t 100 percent as I wanted in training, in terms of what I expect from a player like him.
‘His physical condition has declined a little, but my project in Marseille is not only to qualify for the Champions League, it is also to create something like what Luis Enrique has created (at PSG). He has created a team, a group of strong players, but with a soul.’
After emerging as one of Man United’s brightest young talents, he left the club officially last summer after he was arrested in January 2022 before being charged with attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour.
Charges against Greenwood were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service following the ‘withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light’.
Greenwood reignited his career on loan at Spanish outfit Getafe last season, where he bagged 10 goals and six assists.
He has since formally applied to switch his international allegiance from England, for whom he made one outing, to Steve McClaren’s Jamaica.
