De Zerbi had previously described Greenwood as a "good guy" when working with him at Marseille, defending his character after the forward's legal troubles while he was on the books of Man Utd. Greenwood was arrested on January 31, 2022, on suspicion of rape and assault. In October that year, he was charged with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The charges against Greenwood, which he always denied, were dropped in February 2023 due to "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."
Greenwood played 68 games for Marseille under De Zerbi after joining the club from United in the summer of 2024. De Zerbi said when pressed on Greenwood's past criminal case during his time at Orange Velodrome: "He’s a good guy, he paid a heavy price for what happened, a very heavy price. He has found the right environment for him. We have lent him a hand and given him affection. He’s a little bit introverted but I know him and his family."