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Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi says he gave Mason Greenwood’s father a stark warning about the ‘demands of the club’ before the forward’s move earlier this summer.
Greenwood attracted strong interest from a host of top teams across Europe after impressing on loan at Getafe, where he notched up eight goals and six assists in La Liga last season.
The young attacker had been heralded as a potential superstar at Manchester United but was frozen out by his boyhood team after being arrested for attempted rape, controlling behaviour and assault in early 2022.
These charges were later dropped but it was decided it was best for all parties for Greenwood to leave Old Trafford on a permanent basis this summer and the England international signed for Marseille last month.
The Ligue 1 club’s pursuit of Greenwood has been met with heavy criticism from some quarters, with the Marseille’s mayor voicing his concerns surrounding the ‘unacceptable’ signing which he felt would bring ‘shame’ on the club.
De Zerbi’s claim that he was unaware of Greenwood’s past also came under fire – and the Italian has attempted to clarify those previous comments in an interview with L’Equipe.
‘I didn’t defend him. I said that when a player becomes my player, I’m the first to pin him to the wall if he makes a mistake,’ De Zerbi told the French publication.
‘But with regards to the outside world, I’ll always defend him as I would defend my son.
‘The personal question does not enter into my reasoning, I know what Pablo Longoria [Marseille president] did beforehand, all the information he collected on Greenwood.
‘The club took every precaution before making the decision.’
De Zerbi revealed Greenwood was the first transfer target he called when he took charge of Marseille last month,
Asked what he looks for in new arrivals, De Zerbi replied: ‘What’s in his blood: character, willpower.
‘Elye Wahi, for example, wanted to come at all costs and that’s what he told me straight away on the phone.
‘Mason Greenwood was the first player I called.’
The former Brighton boss lifted the lid on a conversation he had with Greenwood’s father, in which he tried to hammer home what was required to succeed at Marseille.
‘I spoke with his father, who must be the same age as me,’ De Zerbi continued.
‘I warned him about the demands of the club, telling him, “OM is OM”, and he replied: “I remember the historic Marseille, which played in the European Cup finals”.
‘On the other hand, when we saw a player was uncertain, not totally won over by the idea of joining us, we immediately went down another path.’
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