Carsley ‘aware of’ Greenwood form as England chances for ex-Man Utd forward revealed
Interim manager Lee Carsley says he never considered calling up in-form Marseille forward Mason Greenwood for England this month.
Greenwood spent last season on loan at Spanish side Getafe and signed a five-year contract with Marseille in the summer after Man Utd agreed to sell him for £26.6million.
Greenwood never considered for England recall – Carsley
He has started very well in France, scoring five and assisting one in three appearances.
The 22-year-old was suspended by United on January 30, 2022 over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.
He faced charges including attempted rape and assault, but the Crown Prosecution Service announced in February last year that the case had been discontinued.
Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had said in February this year that the club would take a decision on Greenwood’s future in the summer, and “justify it one way or the other”.
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A short statement from the Red Devils confirmed the transfer, which delivers on the club’s prior commitment that the one-cap England international would continue his career away from Old Trafford.
Greenwood’s only cap for his country came against Iceland in the Nations League four years ago.
During the international break in September 2020, Greenwood and Phil Foden broke Covid-19 guidelines by inviting women back to their hotel in Iceland.
The pair were sent home by Gareth Southgate and omitted from the next England squad the following month.
Greenwood – who Jamaica reportedly want to call up – has not played for the Three Lions since and there has been some speculation over a return to the fold.
Interim England manager Carsley says Greenwood was not “under consideration” for this month’s squad to face the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
“Mason wasn’t a player we could consider, I’m aware of how he’s doing, but he wasn’t under consideration,” he told reporters.
England: Carsley makes national anthem admission
Carsley represented Ireland during his playing days and his first match as senior England boss is against them in Dublin.
Having not sung the national anthem as a player or as England Under-21s manager, Carsley says he will stick with that stance on Saturday.
Saturday’s Nations League opener marks the start of a new era for both teams, with Heimir Hallgrimsson taking charge of the hosts for the first time against a side starting life without Gareth Southgate.
England’s long-serving manager stepped down shortly after July’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain and Carsley was handed the reins on a temporary basis as the Football Association weighs up its options.
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The 50-year-old says the Dublin clash will be a “proud moment for myself and my family”, but singing ‘God Save the King’ looks out of the question for a player that represented Ireland 40 times as player.
“This is something that I always struggled with when I was playing for Ireland,” Birmingham-born Carsley said of anthems.
“The gap between your warm-up, your coming on to the pitch and the delay with the anthems. So it’s something that I have never done.
“I was always really focused on the game and my first actions of the game. I really found that in that period I was wary about my mind wandering off.
“I was really focused on the football and I have taken that in to coaching.
“We had the national anthem with the Under-21s also and I am in a zone at that point.
“I am thinking about how the opposition are going to set up and our first actions within the game.
“I fully respect both anthems and understand how much they mean to both countries. It’s something I am really respectful of.”
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