Mason Greenwood reportedly fears he has no chance of resurrecting his career in Saudi Arabia due to an ongoing feud with Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 21-year-old is looking for a new club following news on Monday that he would leave Manchester United after they conducted an internal investigation into his future.
Greenwood, who was arrested in January 2022 on suspicion of a number of offences including attempted rape, will not play for United again and is likely to depart on loan or see his contract settled.
The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently dropped the charges in February of this year after key witnesses withdrew and new material came to light.
According to The Sun, Greenwood – who has been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia – believes that avenue may not be possible after a comment he made about Ronaldo when he was younger.
While the Portuguese superstar was playing for Real Madrid – where he won numerous honours and highlighted his status as one of the greatest players of all-time – Greenwood was reported to have openly said Ronaldo’s career was ‘dead’ – slang for ‘finished’ – when referencing the 38-year-old’s perceived decline.
He received a telling off from United chiefs at the time who felt it demonstrated a lack of maturity on his behalf.
The comment emerged in March this year, with the pair having previously spent a spell together as team-mates when Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford for a second time in 2021.
However, the report went onto say how when the forward was informed of Greenwood’s comments, he was infuriated, and urged Saudi League chiefs to never make a move for the Englishman.
One source told The Sun: ‘Ronaldo isn’t known for his thick skin. He was really annoyed at what Greenwood said — but he has good reason to be when you consider what Ronaldo has achieved in his career and where Greenwood finds himself.
‘Greenwood had his nose put out of joint when Ronaldo signed for United because he ended up playing a lot less than he had hoped for, so their relationship was difficult.’
