The staff at Manchester United are reportedly ‘split’ over whether Mason Greenwood should play for the club again with some arguing that he is owed a “duty of care”.

The 21-year-old has been facing charges of attempted rape and assault but on Thursday it was announced that the case has been discontinued. This is said to be down to “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”.

Manchester United subsequently released a statement and confirmed that their own internal investigation will begin.

It said, “Manchester United notes the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service that all charges against Mason Greenwood have been dropped. The club will now conduct its own process before determining next steps. We will not make any further comment until that process is complete.”

A report from The Guardian on Friday evening revealed that United’s staff are “split over whether Mason Greenwood should be allowed to resume his career at the club”.

This is happening as the young striker plans a fall back, which see him to China if the Old Trafford gods reject him.

Greenwood is reportedly exploring a transfer to China if Manchester United block his return to first-team training after Thursday’s announcement that all criminal charges against the striker have been dropped. You will never turn off your computer again.

The 21 year old had been facing charges including attempted rape and assault but the Crown Prosecution Service said the case had been discontinued as “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction”.

It is noted that a ‘substantial proportion of the workforce’ at Manchester United would be ‘deeply unhappy’ if he played for the club again.

On the other hand, ‘others’ feel that “a duty of care toward a player who joined at age seven and has not been found guilty of any crime”. Ex-Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan feels Manchester United have “two options” when it comes to their final decision on Greenwood.

“Manchester United, in my view, would be within their gift to be able to consider this as bringing the club into disrepute,” Jordan told TalkSport. “From a club point of view, I would be looking at, is this behaviour – the nature of an arrest, with the allegations made against him – befitting of a Manchester United player?

“With that in mind I would have two options: Do I look at it as reputational damage that takes him out of his contract with an immediate dismissal, which opens me up to a situation where people might suggest I’ve wrongfully dismissed somebody? Or do I put him in a situation where I pay up his contract and extricate myself from the problem that way?,” argued Jordan.

“It’s an incredibly difficult situation for the club, and I think Manchester United have got to look at the whole scenario because this situation is reputationally toxic for all concerned. Manchester United have the opportunity now to speak to this boy at great length and avail themselves of every scintilla of information around this scenario and then take a view,” he observed further.

“I think, without prejudging, they’re into the grounds of bringing the club into disrepute. While he’s a wonderful footballer, there is a line where football clubs are supposed to represent the best values in society.”

On Friday Erik Ten Hag declined to comment on Greenwood’s case directly, instead referring to a Manchester United statement which said “the club will now conduct its own process before determining next steps” regarding the academy product, who has been suspended from playing and training since January 2022.

Depending on the outcome of the internal investigation, Greenwood is “eyeing a football career in China if Manchester United sack him”.

After the club suspended him last year, the England international ‘told pals he had no intention of playing for United again’ but he has now “begrudgingly” accepted United’s stance’.

A source told The Sun, “At the time he was adamant he didn’t want to put on the red shirt again. He felt like the club didn’t stand by him.

“He said he would be happy to go and play in China as long as that meant he was getting paid well and was playing. His view may have softened over the last few months, but he was not happy at all.”

• A Tell / Football365 report