Greenwood arrest will not distract Man Utd players, insists Rangnick

Mason Greenwood’s arrest has not distracted Manchester United’s preparations for their FA Cup clash against Middlesbrough, Ralf Rangnick says. 

The 20-year-old was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of rape and assault and was further arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of threats to kill and sexual assault after police were made aware of claims made by a woman on social media. 

He was released from police custody on Wednesday on bail pending further investigation, and Manchester United reiterated their stance that he will not be taking part in any training sessions or games for the foreseeable future. 

What has been said? 

Rangnick faced for the media for the first time since Greenwood’s arrest ahead of their FA Cup fourth round tie against Middlesbrough, and while he did not speak in detail on the issue he commented that it had not affected their training plans. 

The German manager said: “We had a good normal week of training with five training sessions including today's training.

"Obviously it was a topic within the team, but they're all human beings and Mason was part of the group before we had our break.

"It was a good week of training, we could train under normal circumstances and we are looking forward to the game tomorrow.”

What have Man Utd said? 

The club reiterated their stance on Friday that Greenwood would not be playing any part in training or games until further notice. 

Their most recent statement reads: “Manchester United reiterates its strong condemnation of violence of any kind. As previously communicated, Mason Greenwood will not train with, or play for, the club until further notice.”

What is the latest from the police?

The latest statement from Greater Manchester Police was released on Wednesday: “A 20-year-old man arrested (on Sunday 30 January 2022) on suspicion of the rape and assault of a woman has been released on bail pending further investigation.”