Mason Greenwood’s Liverpool showdown is no England World Cup squad audition despite Marseille goal-scoring exploits
If Tuchel’s words can be believed and that directive won’t change, then this should be a moot point. Nevertheless, it remains a burning question in Marseille and among a certain section of England fans online. The view from France is that Greenwood would be an asset.
“Yes, absolutely,” Lamperti says when asked whether Greenwood could be a weapon for the Three Lions. “He can be a super-sub. He’s only 24, still has plenty of room for improvement, and is brimming with confidence. He just needs to feel loved. But I think England isn’t ready to forgive him.”
However, Marseille-based English football journalist George Boxall, who covers OM, disagrees.
“If we put the legal case and his past to one side, then there is an argument to say that he has a stake to claim in that side,” he tells GOAL. “He is the Ligue 1 top scorer and has been playing some objectively electric football at times; his stats have already surpassed the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle in France. The problem is that you can’t separate the player from his past, it’s just not realistic to do so.”
Asked whether he believed there was any chance of Greenwood being recalled, Boxall continued: “I would have imagined if there was genuine public repentance, an explanation, and better communication on his part it may have been achievable, but it’s too late now. He is still playing football, he is happy at Marseille and already has his second chance as someone who is still playing football at the highest level and is paid to do so.
“Playing for England will reopen those scars from the past, and it won’t benefit anyone involved: Not Tuchel, nor Greenwood, nor his family, and least of all victims of sexual abuse in a wider sense.”
