Ex-Man Utd forward Mason Greenwood labelled 'the best player in Ligue 1' after 'extraordinary' start at Marseille

Greenwood completed a £27 million ($35m) transfer to Marseille in the summer transfer window, ending his six-year spell on United's first-team books. The 22-year-old has since raced to the top of the Ligue 1 scoring table with five goals in his first three domestic outings for Marseille, leaving RMC Sport journalist Daniel Riolo in awe.

"In terms of pure quality, over the first three games, Greenwood is perhaps the best player in Ligue 1," Riolo said on RMC's After Foot show. "We're not going to talk about the past and the fact that he's banned from England, we all know his story. We're going to talk about the pitch, it's extraordinary."

Greenwood was not "banned from England" as Riolo suggested. The English forward saw criminal charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control against him dropped in February last year, with United subsequently launching their own investigation into his conduct. The club eventually decided against reintegrating Greenwood into the senior squad, and he was loaned to Getafe for the 2023-24 season, where he recorded 14 goal contributions in 33 La Liga appearances. Greenwood has been able to transfer that form to Marseille, with Riolo adding on his impact: "It's maybe two or three flashes per match but it's sharp, crazy. His precision, his speed of execution, we're facing a guy who has qualities that are well above average. He's above Ligue 1, he's a very great player."

Greenwood will hope to be back among the goals when Marseille resume their 2024-25 Ligue 1 campaign at home to Nice after the international break. Roberto De Zerbi's side are sitting second in the standings behind reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain with seven points from their first three matches.