Mason Greenwood has enjoyed a stellar season at Marseille so far but has faced another bout of criticism from his manager Roberto De Zerbi
Comments
Sport
Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood has scored 16 goals for Marseille this season(Image: CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Mason Greenwood has been subjected to a second warning from Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi - with the ex-Brighton boss slamming his physical fitness.
The former Manchester United forward has enjoyed an impressive debut season with the French giants after his £27million move last summer. Greenwood has scored 15 league goals in the 2024/25 campaign, with only Ousmane Dembele scoring more than the 23-year-old.
He has helped Marseille into the upper echelons of the Ligue 1 table, where they sit second but but a whopping 19 points behind reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain. France's top two teams clashed in the second Le Classique of the season at the Parc des Princes on Sunday with PSG claiming a 3-1 win.
However, Greenwood could only manage a 27-minute cameo off the bench in what marked his second consecutive game not starting. De Zerbi discussed his decision to relegate his top scorer to the substitutes bench as of late and, while admitting his importance to the team, claimed he was lacking in terms of his fitness.
"Mason is a crucial player for us," the Italian said after Sunday's loss. "But if I'm not mistaken, at the start of the season Dembele wasn't in the starting 11. We need Mason, but he has to be in good physical condition. That's very important at this stage of the season."
Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood is Marseille's top scorer this season with 16 goals across all competitions
This isn't the first warning the former Seagulls boss has aimed Greenwood's way, as he had an identical complaint about his forward earlier this season. After starting his Marseille career with five goals in his first three league games, Greenwood then went on a four-match run without a goal or an assist in October.
De Zerbi was asked about his drought, to which he said: "Some of our key players are not in good shape, like Mason Greenwood." His public criticism seemed to work wonders with the Englishman claiming a goal and an assist in their next game which was a 5-0 rout of Montpellier.
While still second in the league, the race for top four is heating in France. With three losses in their last four games, Marseille will have to navigate several tricky fixtures against the likes of Monaco, Brest, and Lille in the next few weeks to secure Champions League football next season.