Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi has opened up on why he dropped Mason Greenwood from the starting XI in the recent Ligue 1 win over Auxerre. The former Brighton boss was speaking ahead of the club's Champions League clash against Serie A side Atalanta, set for Wednesday night in France, and explained his reasons for keeping the ex-Manchester United man on the bench.
Greenwood snub explained
Marseille managed to beat their opponents 1-0 on Saturday, despite a player from both sides being sent off. Greenwood, who has starred for the Ligue 1 outfit since crossing the channel from England, had an unfamiliar feeling of warming the bench for the match. But De Zerbi claims it was just player management, and that he felt the forward was tired and needed a rest.
Speaking ahead of this week's European action, the Italian head coach said: "I never pick a team with the next match in mind. Atalanta isn't more important than Auxerre. Now, I can think about the match against Atalanta and then I'll think about the one against Brest.
"I felt Greenwood and Paixao were tired and less sharp. Not physically, but less sharp than usual, and less brilliant. That's why I preferred to start Aubameyang and Vaz up front. They should be ready. The Champions League is important, and I'd like to be able to prepare for this match with more options in terms of players."
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The 24-year-old left United in 2024 for a fee worth around £27 million, having had a turbulent few months. The ex-Red Devils star's personal life had been clouded in controversy, after he was arrested in October 2022 and charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault. He had previously been shipped out on loan to Spanish side Getafe by the Premier League giants, but still had plenty of interest from Europe after continuing to perform on the pitch. In 2023, all charges against Greenwood were discontinued, but United opted not to reintegrate him into their squad. Instead, he left for France, but not before United could insert a significant sell-on clause into his contract. In the time since, the academy graduate has made 49 appearances for Marseille, scoring 30 goals and notching 10 assists.
Giants still circling
Despite his past controversies, a number of European giants are believed to be monitoring the England international, with many weighing up a move for the player. However, Marseille president Pablo Longoria will be keen to keep hold of him, after admitting he pushed to get a deal done in the first place, despite facing opposition from the mayor of the city.
Speaking in a recent interview, he said: "At that moment, you have to think about the decision and what are the values of your club. We took a lot of information from all the clubs he played at and about what was the situation, and what had happened. At that time, you are taking advantage of a situation in the market, because you know he is super talented and you are having this possibility from a circumstance that happened in the past. There was only one person who disagreed at the table.
"Sincerely, for me it was very easy when you are convinced in all the communication strategies. You know you need a communications strategy, so let’s tell the truth. Let’s say why we take this decision, but with transparency, explaining all the processes, explaining why we arrived to take this decision. After that, time will judge."
AFPEyes on Atalanta
Greenwood will likely return to the starting line-up for the clash with Atalanta. So far in the Champions League, Marseille have only won one of their three games in the competition – a 4-0 win against Ajax. They gave Real Madrid a run for their money, narrowly missing out, with the same happening against Sporting CP. Greenwood will be hoping to add to his goal and assist in the competition when he faces the Italian side this week.
