Mason Greenwood has been granted Jamaican citizenship, making him eligible to represent the country on the pitch, as the winger weighs up whether to make a return to international football.
It has now been five years since Greenwood, 23, earned his solitary cap for England, while still a Manchester United player, with the then youngster banished from the senior side after footage emerged of him and Phil Foden bringing girls back to the team hotel in Iceland. The forward hasn’t represented England at any international level since
In January 2022, he was arrested for allegations of attempted rape, assault, and coercive behaviour.
The charges were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, a year later, following the ‘withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light’.
Now, Greenwood has a decision to make. The Marseille winger, who permanently left Old Trafford for the south of France last summer, can now switch allegiances to play for the Jamaica national team.
With his Jamaican citizenship now secured, Greenwood has been granted permission to join the Jamaica Football Federation from the English FA, and could be available to play as soon as next month in the country’s World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago.
Mason Greenwood has secured Jamaican citizenship making him eligible to play for the country
Greenwood, 23, has not played international football since his one and only cap for England in 2020
Jamaica boss Steve McClaren has been keen on bringing the winger to the national set up
FIFA’s rules state that if a player has accrued fewer than three competitive caps for a country when under the age of 21, they can change nationalities. They also need to have been eligible for the new country when playing for their initial nation.
As Greenwood was just 19 years old when he made his senior debut for England, he meets the criteria.
Jamaica manager Steve McClaren made it clear that he wanted Greenwood within his ranks earlier this year, and it appears he may be about to get his wish.
‘We are in contact all the time, with him and his family,’ McClaren explained in March. ‘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.’
McClaren has been keen to bring UK-born players into the Jamaican national set-up, with Michail Antonio one of the high-profile players to have switched allegiances back in 2021, before the former England boss’ arrival.
Brentford’s Rico Henry is another of the stars that they are pushing to recruit as they push to build a strong squad in order to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but he is yet to commit to the ‘Reggae Boyz’.
Greenwood is yet to make a full decision on his future, but it appears that he is keen to make the switch.
Meanwhile, at club level, Greenwood is set to stay put after scoring 22 goals and bagging six assists during a successful first season on the pitch at the Ligue 1 side.
McClaren has been pushing to recruit UK-born players and Jamaica already have Michail Antonio (left) and Bobby De Cordova-Reid (middle) in their team
Jamaica are trying to convince Rico Henry to switch allegiances but the Brentford man hasn’t yet committed to doing so
‘Greenwood will stay with us. He is not for sale,’ Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia told 365Scores Arabia.
‘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.’