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While Manchester United did manage to get important incoming deals over the line on Deadline Day, the club’s struggles to offload players was there for all to see.
The likes of Eric Bailly and Donny van de Beek still remain at the club despite interest from multiple clubs and Mason Greenwood was also close to missing out on a move.
The Peoples Person had reported that the forward had agreed to move to Serie A side Lazio, who were close to agreeing a free transfer.
Lazio president blames United for Greenwood transfer failure
The player was set to receive an annual salary of €700k – a drastic reduction from the £75k per week wages he currently commands at Old Trafford.
However, the move broke down as Lazio realised there was not enough time to thrash out all the details to facilitate a smooth transition.
Now, Lazio’s president, Claudio Lotito, has come out and said in an interview to La Lazio Siamo Noi (quotes relayed by GOAL), that it was United’s dithering approach that led to the move not panning out.
“I tried until the last minute. They didn’t countersign in time. He wanted to come to Lazio,” the president said, adding that United delayed the documents from their end.
The report also mentioned that Lazio’s head coach Maurizio Sarri was not exactly over the moon with the prospect of landing the United man, and had reservations about the player’s attitude and fitness.
In the end, Greenwood signed for La Liga side Getafe on a simple loan deal with United not receiving a loan fee. He is due to return to Manchester next season.
United had already announced earlier that the forward would not be playing for the first team any longer after the conclusion of their year-long internal investigation.
Greenwood ended up joining Getafe on loan
The club was forced to take this decision after fan backlash following news leaks that the club was planning to reinstate the forward into the first-team squad.
Greenwood was arrested and charged with attempted rape, domestic violence, and controlling behaviour and his last game for United was back in January 2022.
The United academy graduate was subsequently released and the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges in February due to the withdrawal of key witnesses and the emergence of new evidence.
He had been training on his own with a personal trainer and could make his Getafe debut after the international break when his new side take on Osasuna on September 17.
