'He's not Lionel Messi!' - Mason Greenwood told he's only good enough for Aston Villa as Marcel Desailly warns Arsenal & Man City to avoid signing Marseille star

Greenwood headed to Stade Velodrome during the summer of 2024 as Manchester United agreed to sanction a permanent sale. A £27 million ($37m) fee changed hands in that window, with the Red Devils making sure to include a 50 per cent sell-on clause.

Those terms promise to stand United in good stead, with Greenwood’s value considered to have soared in Ligue 1. He claimed a share of that division’s Golden Boot last season alongside Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain.

In the current campaign, the 24-year-old forward has a career-best tally of 25 goals to his name across all competitions - with a talismanic role being filled in Marseille’s bid to secure Champions League qualification.

A return to England has been speculated on for Greenwood, while the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico Madrid are said to have shown interest at various intervals - alongside big-spending teams in the Saudi Pro League.

World Cup winner Desailly, who helped Marseille to European Cup glory in 1993, is not convinced that Greenwood is ready to join a truly elite club. He believes that another stepping stone would be required in order to reach that point.

Highlighting how the one-cap England international, who still has the option of pledging allegiance to Jamaica, is not cut from the same cloth as Lionel Messi, Desailly - speaking courtesy of BetVictor Online Casino - told GOAL when asked if Greenwood will be on the move this summer: “When you look from outside and you look at the statistics and the goals that he has scored, you might be tempted. But does he really have the strength to be in a top Premier League club or top Spanish club? I'm not sure. I'm not sure he can adapt to that level. 

“I believe that he's a player that should play in France for Marseille, he should play in Villarreal for Spain. And for the Premier League, it's difficult. I would not say Tottenham, but maybe Aston Villa, eventually, for the Premier League. 

“I'm not sure he has the grade and the consistency on the field, because yes, he scores goals, the stats are good, but when you go to the Premier League you also need to have that consistency on how you put the discipline on the tactic that the coach has put in place. It's too much. 

“Physically, he can be a storm and make the difference in France, but the drop is too much afterwards. He doesn't appear for an hour, he's not Messi! So for France, it's fine but once you put him in a league that is a little bit higher on intensity and impact, I don't know. I love him, but if I am Manchester City, if I am Arsenal, I would not buy Greenwood.”

There is no suggestion that either the Gunners or Citizens would be interested in returning Greenwood to his homeland, with their recruitment radars currently pointing in different directions. There is, however, every chance that a tempting enough offer will be put to Marseille in the next transfer window that leads to them agreeing to part with a prized asset.

A fresh start could be lined up for Greenwood, having already spent time in Spain and France, with there enough potential left to be unlocked in his game to suggest that somebody will be willing to part with a pile of cash that is much bigger than the one which took him to the French Riviera.