Man Utd Warn Mason Greenwood Over 'Repeated Breaches of Discipline'
By Tom Gott
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned young forward Mason Greenwood that his recent behaviour has not been good enough, with repeated examples of turning up late for training believed to be the boss' main concern.
Greenwood was dropped for the win over Newcastle United at the weekend and did not return against Paris Saint-Germain, prompting countless rumours of an off-field bust-up with Solskjaer, although the boss publicly denied such reports and insisted his absence was down to injury.
Solskjaer on Mason Greenwood's absence: 'Mason wasn’t fit to play, so we had to leave him out. We hope he will recover quickly.' #mufc
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) October 17, 2020
While it is believed that Greenwood is in fact nursing a minor injury, The Times note that he has been spoken to by United chiefs over repeated disciplinary issues in recent weeks.
He was recently reminded of his responsibilities after being found to have snuck two Icelandic women into the England team's hotel during September's international break, but it is thought that Solskjaer's primary concern is Greenwood's poor timekeeping.
The young forward is said to have repeatedly turned up late in recent weeks, with the boss pulling Greenwood aside to warn him that his behaviour must improve if he wants to force his way back into the first team.
It is understood that Solskjaer will look to keep this issue with Greenwood in-house and will publicly insist that any continued absence is related to injury. Club officials have refused to comment on any disciplinary issues.
As of now, there has been no word on just how long Solskjaer will keep Greenwood out of the team. In his absence, the boss has put his faith in the likes of Daniel James and Juan Mata, while Edinson Cavani is expected to take up a spot in the team in the near future.
There's also 18-year-old Uruguayan winger Facundo Pellistri to consider. The new signing is yet to make his debut for United but was included on the bench for Tuesday's 2-1 win over PSG.
Next up for United is a home game against Frank Lampard's Chelsea, but it remains to be seen whether Solskjaer will restore Greenwood to the squad for that game.
The boss has regularly made it clear that he will not condone players who are more bothered about themselves than they are of the club, but it is expected that he will give Greenwood every chance to improve and apologise.