Mason Greenwood made his Marseille debut after leaving Manchester United last week, here’s how French media reacted.
The biggest sale of the summer to date for Manchester United has been Mason Greenwood and his £27m move to France.
Marseille won the race ahead of Lazio, Napoli, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Getafe who were all keen at one stage or another in signing the 22-year-old.
Selling Greenwood was always on the cards for Ineos this summer, and his 14-goal contribution La Liga campaign for Getafe last season made it an easy sell.
Now, he’s made his debut for the Ligue 1 side and here’s how the media in France have been reacting to his inaugural outing.
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What French media have said after Greenwood’s debut
Greenwood donned the white of Marseille for the first time on Wednesday afternoon as his new club took on Toulon. After the game, the media in France have been reacting.
French outlet Orange Actualites reviewed the outing of Greenwood for Marseille: “The Englishman distinguished himself with a few attempts without being able to score.”
L’Equipe also commented on his debut against Toulon: “Starting on the right side of the attack, he made his team benefit from his left leg. The 22-year-old Englishman did not try to force on sprints and dribbles, often sought the in-depth call of Amine Harit, who plunged from the axis to the right flank, and distinguished himself by a framed shot.”
With the previous two outlets slightly optimistic, Football 365 was less impressed, writing: “Only a few days after signing with the club, Mason Greenwood was able to participate in his first game with Marseille. The English winger played only one-half, like most players. A half-time during which he only distinguished himself by a fruitless strike”
Marseille spent around £27m on Greenwood last week, and they’ll be very excited to see him get up to speed and perform as he did last season for Getafe in Ligue 1 – United’s buy-back remains an interesting inclusion for this reason, but yet a bizarre thing to have in the deal.
Below are the highlights from the game, in which Greenwood features;
Greenwood will be playing Champions League football this season
This coming season sees Erik ten Hag and United in the Europa League which means United won’t be facing off against Greenwood, with Marseille in the Champions League.
The chance to shine on Europe’s brightest stage could be the defining factor in why he chose to join Marseille ahead of the likes of Lazio.
Playing in the Champions League could also see Greenwood have to return to England with Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa all potential opponents for Marseille in the tournament which is newly structured.
- READ MORE: Champions League/Europa League 24/25: What is the new format? Will it affect Manchester United?
Greenwood will face English opposition in his next pre-season outing, with a game against Sunderland planned for Marseille on August 3rd.