Inside Mason Greenwood's loan at Getafe: Impressing Antoine Griezmann, a lack of fan backlash and making headlines for just his football

After a period of adaptation having not trained or played for almost two years, Greenwood has rediscovered the form that made him such an exciting prospect as a teenager, a player who, until his arrest in January 2022, was expected to lead United's attack for the next decade.

Since the start of November, he has scored two Liga goals - his superb strike against Almeria was the best of his career - and set up a further three. He was crucial to Getafe's rampant 3-0 win away to Sevilla, scoring and providing an assist, and a week later against Atletico Madrid he stole the show.

Greenwood inspired Getafe to come from two goals down to draw 3-3 at their local rivals and was singled out for praise by Antoine Griezmann, who remarked: "Greenwood hurt us a lot, we couldn't stop him."

He was named Player of the Month for December, and while he has had a quiet start to 2024, getting sent off at Rayo Vallecano and drawing a blank in a Copa del Rey exit to Sevilla, the overall sensation is that he is an outstanding footballer who any top side would want in their team.

"I don't remember a player of Greenwood's quality in the Getafe squad in recent years, I can assure you there's no player like him in terms of talent and quality," a source who follows Getafe closely told GOAL. "The fans have not cared from the first moment about his off-the-pitch issues, they are super excited about him and his football. You see people wearing shirts with his name and number on everywhere."

Getafe supporters are not the only ones in Spain who have given Greenwood the benefit of the doubt. With each stunning performance, the reason he spent so long suspended by United has barely been mentioned.

"It has been forgotten about," the source, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, added. "Although people remember what happened, which is not forgivable, people are mostly saying 'What a player'. He was the main reason they fought back at Atletico Madrid, the media are still talking about that game, they are talking more about his ability than his off-the-pitch activities."

When Getafe coach Jose Bordalas learned his side could sign Greenwood on transfer deadline day, he literally couldn't believe his luck. "A friend called me to tell me about the possibility and at first we thought it wasn't real, but he confirmed that it was," he told Marca in December.

"We had to have a lot of patience, with a lot of tranquility, we were aware that he had been a long time without playing and practically without training. But we trusted him because of his talent, because of the level he has had.

"To be able to sign a player of this level at Getafe is complicated, almost impossible. And well, given the situation, we bet on him. We are happy and satisfied because we have a great player. He is a good lad and has fit in very well and he only needs to learn a little more Spanish."

'Good lad' is not a phrase many people in England were using to describe Greenwood when it emerged that United wanted to reintegrate the striker into their squad last August. Television personality Rachel Riley declared she would stop supporting United if Greenwood played for the club again, while two female fans told GOALthey would also stop going to matches if he returned. Andrew Western, the Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston, also spoke out against the club's handling of the situation.

The public outrage, as well as discontent among club staff, ultimately led United to make a U-turn on their decision to reintegrate Greenwood, leading them to arrange a loan instead. Yet there has been hardly any outcry in Spain against Getafe signing Greenwood, even amid a heightened awareness over consent and domestic violence following the furore over Luis Rubiales' unsolicited kiss on Jenni Hermoso after the Women's World Cup final.

Although former Spain women's player Vero Boquete called Greenwood's signing "hypocritical" and there were a small number of critical opinion pieces in newspapers, Greenwood's legal case did not take up a great deal of media attention.

The same has been true of rival fans. Osasuna's fans chanted "Greenwood die" on his debut, but they were condemned for doing so by Bordalas and by La Liga. Athletic Club supporters booed Greenwood in September, but he has received little negative attention since.

The fact that the charges against Greenwood were dropped, unlike with Rubiales, was key to Getafe taking him on, and every time the club's directors or Bordalas have been asked about the criminal case against their striker, they have pointed to the legal outcome.

"Everyone knows what happened and that it ended with a sentence that did not find him guilty," Bordalas said just after signing Greenwood in September. "It’s too delicate a subject to treat lightly. We can only talk about football, obviously. The relevant bodies did what had to be done.”

Bordalas' words were not strictly true. Greenwood was not found not guilty or cleared of any wrongdoing. He was set to face trial, but following the withdrawal of key witnesses and fresh evidence that came to light, the Crown Prosecution Service deemed there was not a realistic case of conviction and subsequently dropped the charges.

That fact was cited by campaigners and critics of United's initial stance, but perhaps understandably given the difference between the legal systems in Spain and the United Kingdom, the case has been interpreted in more black and white terms in Spain.

An unnamed Getafe director told El Mundo: "We don't understand why there is so much commotion because legally speaking he's not accused of anything [any longer]. There was a private investigation and in the end they concluded there was no case to answer."

For Bordalas, Greenwood has undergone a process of rehabilitation. "It is very commendable that after such a long time he has recovered and is helping us," he told Marca. "I know of cases of guys I've had who quit football because they had emotional problems and they never played again because you get disconnected, you lose your place and then it costs you a lot."

Greenwood is said to get on well with his team-mates, although there has been talk of a language barrier due to a low level of English among the Getafe squad and the player's Yorkshire accent. He takes Spanish classes and also has sessions with a psychologist, according to El Mundo. He is described as shy yet polite and it has been noted that he will always give autographs to children who wait for the players at the training ground and has "a good feeling" among his team-mates. There have been no incidents of ill-discipline, unlike at United.

"You don't have to be very insightful to realise he's an introverted guy, always listening to music with headphones. But he is happy here. He just wants to pay the fans back for their support and it's reciprocal because the supporters believe in him," a club source told El Mundo. "Regardless of what the tabloids have published, we see that he's happy in the city, with the food and the climate. In summary, he's committed to the cause."

Greenwood is reported to live in the upmarket area of Boadilla del Monte with his girlfriend, their daughter - who was born last July - and his father. The family returned to Manchester for Christmas during La Liga's winter break. A source told The Sun: “He has had lots of problems off the pitch in his short career, but he finally seems to be addressing them and sorting himself out. They [Greenwood and his girlfriend] like being able to go out in Madrid without feeling like everyone is watching them.”

Bordalas is one of Spain's more defensive-minded coaches, a fiery character who took Getafe to the last-16 of the Europa League in 2020, knocking out Erik ten Hag's Ajax, while playing uncompromising football that was rarely easy on the eye. His style is more Sam Allardyce than Pep Guardiola, to put it one way.

But with Greenwood in the team, his side have become more adventurous. "Getafe look for Greenwood every chance they get, he is part of the reason that Bordalas has got more expansive, he's now got a player like him who makes things happen," said another source based in Spain who also wished to remain anonymous.

"There's a sense here that this is a properly good player, the bottom line as far as Getafe is concerned is this guy is a bit too good for them. They've got a player they could never expect to aspire to, they're absolutely delighted."

Getafe, however, are aspiring to sign Greenwood permanently. President Angel Torres has said he has told United of Getafe's desire for the player to remain after his loan deal expires.

The Red Devils do not expect Greenwood to return to the club given the backlash they received last year. There is a small chance of that stance being reversed by new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but no-one at INEOS has broached the subject. And given that Ratcliffe is desperately trying to get fans onboard with his new regime after so much discontent towards the Glazer family, bringing back Greenwood would risk undoing the goodwill he has received so far.

But despite Torres' insistence, the reality is that Getafe cannot afford Greenwood, even at a reduced price. The club have the third-smallest budget in La Liga and a current maximum wage bill of €40m (£36m/$43.5m). Greenwood is likely to cost at least €40m.

"They want to keep him and will try to sign him but they know it's going to be very hard," said the source close to Getafe. "They're going to try as they have to, but even if they say so, I find it difficult to believe that they'll be able because at some point a club like Barcelona or Atletico Madrid will be interested in him. Greenwood is happy at Getafe and grateful that they've given him another chance, but it's one thing to be grateful and another to throw your career away."

Getafe, however, stand to benefit financially if Greenwood does make a lucrative move in the summer. The club negotiated a 20 percent sell-on clause on Greenwood as part of the loan agreement as they were taking a reputational gamble by taking him on. Atletico, Real Madrid and Barca are among the clubs that have reportedly been following Greenwood closely and there is a feeling that, like Getafe, they would not be put off by the player's problematic past.

"I sincerely think they wouldn't care what happened before," added the first source. "Unfortunately, it's not the first case and won't be the last, and in the end if a player performs well and the signing pays off, the people will forget and public opinion will not give that much importance to it."

The second source added: "The likely scenario is he is sold to a club in Spain, one of the bigger ones. They've seen enough to say 'OK, we'll pay some money for this guy'. And they've seen that there isn't any backlash, that it doesn't need to be an issue."