Mason Greenwood watches from bench as Marseille suffer friendly defeat in Roberto De Zerbi's first game in charge

The English forward had hit the training field soon after he was unveiled as a Marseille player following his €30 million (£25m/$34m) move from Manchester United. However, De Zerbi might not have been impressed with Greenwood's fitness as the Italian manager left the 22-year-old on the bench as his side succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to Nimes.

De Zerbi fielded a completely different eleven for the second half of the match at the Robert Louis-Dreyfus Centre. But the changes did not help as Marseille went down by two goals, within minutes of resumption. And despite chasing the game for the bulk of the time, De Zerbi opted against bringing on Greenwood.

Greenwood's transfer to Marseille has been mired in controversy. Charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive behaviour, which were dropped last year, have sparked significant backlash within the city. A social media campaign by fans called for the cancellation of his contract, and even the city's mayor voiced opposition.

Greenwood will be hoping to debut in the coming week as Marseille have several friendlies lined up next against Toulon, Pau, Sunderland and Augsburg. The forward should get minutes to prove his worth ahead of the Ligue 1 opener against Brest on August 18.