Just to say it right away. Fenerbahçe, who played very well, would not have beaten Liverpool in the Champions League without Manchester United’s outcast super talent Mason Greenwood. “You can see there are still strong emotions in the three years since his case was closed when you get the kind of reaction that Clayton Blackmore got for his live commentary.
Former Manchester United defender Clayton Blackmore has issued a public apology after triggering a storm of backlash. The background is his comments about Mason Greenwood – who scored as Fenerbahçe beat Liverpool 3-2 this week at the Chobani Stadium.
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The Turkish giants beat their English opponent 3-2 in the Champions League, and Greenwood equalised after Trey Nyoni had opened the scoring. Alexander Isak then gave Liverpool the lead in the 69th minute, but goals from Archie Brown and Vedat Muriqi secured all three points for Fenerbahçe.
Greenwood joined the club from Istanbul this summer, after spending the last two seasons in France with Marseille. He completed United’s academy but left the club in 2024 – two years after being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.
“Come to our house”
Despite the circumstances surrounding Greenwood’s move away from the Premier League, former Wales and United defender Blackmore seemed desperate for the England winger to make a comeback at Old Trafford. He wrote on social media:
The comments received a lot of attention on social media. Blackmore – who made 241 appearances for United and won the Premier League and FA Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson in the early 1990s – was heavily criticised for the post. The 62-year-old man then wrote a follow-up message:
Was confused by Greenwood’s own statement
Perhaps Blackmore was confused by Greenwood, who claimed he had been “acquitted of all charges” in 2023. That wasn’t quite the case. The charges were instead dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service because witnesses withdrew their involvement and new material came to light.
It’s no wonder that many fans reacted when Blackmore demanded that Greenwood return to United. Although he was once the most talented talent to emerge at Carrington academy, the winger’s career was derailed in 2022 due to allegations of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour as well as assault.
The Crown Prosecution Service eventually dropped all charges in early 2023, citing the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that also came to light. However, after a lengthy internal investigation, United decided that it was best for both parties that he continue his career elsewhere – a decision that came under significant pressure from fans.
Post-United career
Greenwood scored 35 goals in 129 appearances for United. He was then loaned to Getafe in 2023/24, before being sold to Marseille. With 48 goals in 81 appearances for the French club, Fenerbahçe spent around £33 million to sign the Englishman in July 2026. He has eight goals in his first 19 appearances for the Turkish club.
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