Mason Greenwood reportedly has just two months to save his Marseille career. Things had been going brilliantly for the ex-Manchester United forward until public criticism from manager Roberto De Zerbi, who dropped him from the starting line-up, cast doubt over his club future.
Greenwood has scored 15 goals in 26 Ligue 1 games since completing a £26.6million move from United last summer. No player in the Marseille squad has managed even half of that total, but De Zerbi says he 'wants more' from the 23-year-old as what he is currently seeing from him is 'not enough'.
From what looked like being a successful marriage between player and club only weeks ago, it is now uncertain whether Greenwood will be playing his football in Marseille next season. The forward was dropped to the bench for matches against Lens and Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, with De Zerbi giving him a combined 72 minutes across both matches.
According to La Provence, Greenwood has just two months between now and the end of the season to win back De Zerbi's trust. If he does not show the reaction desired by the former Brighton boss, his association with Marseille is expected to end this summer.
Greenwood is coming to the end of his second season since returning to the professional game following a period of suspension at United.
He spent last campaign at Getafe, scoring eight times in 33 La Liga outings. And while they were desperate to make the move permanent, the financial commitments involved ruled them out of a deal, paving the way for Marseille to swoop in.
United will be due half of the transfer fee if Les Olympiens cash in on Greenwood this summer, courtesy of a massive sell-on clause inserted into the agreement which took him to France. That windfall could be crucial ahead of a transfer window in which Ruben Amorim is expected to rebuild.
A host of big-name European clubs are believed to be tracking Greenwood in case the opportunity to sign him arises at the end of the season. His 15-goal haul this term puts him second in the Ligue 1 scoring charts, behind only Ousmane Dembele.
Greenwood scored 35 goals in 129 games for United after graduating from their academy, and he earned his one and only England cap in 2020, aged 18.