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London, UK | Xinhua | Manchester United’s 21-year-old striker Mason Greenwood has had all criminal charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior and assault against him dropped.
Thursday’s decision comes just over a year after he was arrested in January 2022, and had been due to stand trial in November this year.
The news of Greenwood’s arrest led to United announcing that the striker, who has one cap for England, would be suspended from playing and training, “until further notice.”
He also lost a sponsorship deal with sportswear manufacturer Nike, and was dropped from the FIFA 22 video game.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) issued a statement on Thursday, saying the decision to drop all charges had “not been taken lightly,” but that: “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light, meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case.”
“Despite the media and public’s interest in this case, we have decided not to comment on it in any further detail” commented Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr, who is also GMP’s Head of Public Protection.
Greenwood had been on bail since his original arrest, although he was re-arrested in October for a possible breach of his bail conditions.
Manchester United has so far not made any comment about Thursday’s news.
