'A scandal' - Marseille star hit outs after 'world class' Mason Greenwood snubbed in Ligue 1 Player of the Year awards

Gouiri has echoed the criticisms of his team-mate Adrien Rabiot and coach Roberto De Zerbi, who feel their efforts have been overlooked. In an interview with L'Equipe, the striker name checked De Zerbi, Greenwood, and Rabiot as being deserving of greater recognition for their efforts. Marseille overcame a poor run of form in March, to win four of their last five games in Ligue 1, ultimately finishing in second behind PSG.

Greenwood finished as the joint top scorer in the league alongside Ballon d'Or favourite Ousmane Dembélé, who was recognised as player of the year by the UNFP. The nominees were announced in April, after les Olympiens had lost five of their last seven games. Rabiot had earlier expressed his displeasure, saying it was "unbelievable" that he was not named in the team of the season. De Zerbi joked he needed "five or six more cigarettes" to cope with the idea his players were not considered worthy of recognition by their peers.

Gouiri said of De Zerbi: "He's a great coach. It's a scandal that he wasn't even nominated for the UNFP trophies. Everyone thinks it's normal that he came second with this squad, but it's his first season in Ligue 1, he didn't know the Championship, he has a new team. What he's doing is great." 

On Greenwood, the Algerian striker commented: "It's the same, a scandal. He's the top scorer in Ligue 1 (tied with Ousmane Dembélé). He's a world-class striker. Playing alongside him is a pleasure. He didn't even need time to adapt, he can play with both feet."

Finally, on Rabiot, Gouiri said: "It's a triple scandal in fact. How can we not put him in? But the best answer was given on the pitch. Adrien Rabiot is one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 and he doesn't need a trophy or a top team to prove it.

"The only explanation is that at the time of the votes, we were a little less good."

The UNFP awards are awarded based on the votes of the players in France's top division. Nine of the 11 players named in the team of the season were PSG players, with just Lucas Chevalier of Lille and Rayan Cherki of Lyon breaking into the team. Luis Enrique was given the nod as coach of the year.

There's been plenty of talk about Greenwood's future this season but he looks set to stay at the club. The striker has spoken of his happiness at Marseille, while president Pablo Longoria has insisted he's a "key player" for De Zerbi's team.