Mason Greenwood, the former Manchester United forward, is on the brink of a return to international football, five years after his solitary England appearance. The 23 year old, who now plays for French side Marseille, has been granted Jamaican citizenship and can represent the Caribbean nation due to his parentage.
Greenwood, a product of the Manchester United academy, left Old Trafford over a year ago. In January 2022, he was suspended by United following allegations of rape and sexual assault.
However, these charges were dropped in February 2023, six months prior to his loan move to Spanish outfit Getafe. Greenwood hasn't featured at international level since his England debut in September 2020.
According to FIFA regulations, a player can switch nationalities if they have made no more than three competitive appearances for a country before turning 21, and were eligible for the second country at the time of their first appearance for the initial country. As Greenwood was 19 when he made his England debut, he meets this criteria.
With his Jamaican passport now secured, the only remaining step is for him to transfer from the English FA to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). If this process goes without a hitch, Greenwood will be eligible to play for Jamaica in their World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago next month.
Greenwood, who netted 22 times in 36 appearances during his debut season at Marseille, has been linked with a move to Inter Milan and Al-Nassr in the summer transfer window.
However, it seems more likely that he will switch international allegiances. Steve McClaren, former England manager, expressed his confidence in March that Greenwood would represent Jamaica.
"We are in contact all the time, with him and his family," McClaren revealed. "I am very confident he only wants to play for Jamaica. It is up to him when he moves forward with that. The ball is in his court."
Marseille's sporting director Mehdi Benatia recently confirmed that Greenwood is not on the market and won't be changing clubs this summer. As reported by 365Scores Arabia, Benatia stated: "Greenwood will stay with us. He is not for sale.
"We want to keep him and consider him a key part of OM's project for the upcoming season. In Saudi Arabia, I had a team-mate who had played with him in Spain and told me he was a phenomenon. I'm happy he's with us."