Mason Greenwood made his debut for Getafe as they beat Osasuna, but the former United striker faced a hostile reception from the visiting crowd.
LaLiga is expected to open an investigation into Osasuna after their fans were heard chanting “Mason Greenwood, die” during their clash with Getafe on Sunday.
Greenwood played the final 13 minutes at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, in what was his debut for Getafe after joining the Spanish side on Deadline Day. It was also his first competitive game since being suspended by Manchester United 19 months ago.
That suspension came after he was charged with attempted rape, assault and coercive control. The Crown Prosecution Service, however, discontinued its case against the striker in February, dropping all charges. But following an internal investigation at United, club chiefs determined he would not return to their squad.
Instead he joined Getafe on Deadline Day. Unfortunately, he was not been given a warm reception by rival fans. When the 21-year-old came on for Juanmi Latasa after 77 minutes, he was met with chants of ‘Greenwood, die’ from a section of the Osasuna crowd.
LaLiga’s official match observer heard the chants with a legal and disciplinary process now set to follow. Greenwood won the corner from which Nemanja Maksimovic scored Getafe’s winner in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Osasuna coach Jogoba Arrasate condemned the chants aimed at Greenwood from his own team’s fans. But he also pointed to explicit chants from the home crowd.
“The chants of ‘F*** Osasuna’ were very bad and the chants against Greenwood were very bad too,” he said. “He is a player who, in the end, the justice system had its say. He is a very good player. But if we talk about chants, we should talk about all the chants, not just some.”
Getafe coach Jose Bordalas was keen to focus on Greenwood’s performance rather than the chants. And he dismissed concerns that the striker will continue to face an adverse reaction in future games.
“What happened and what people say is something we’re not part of. As I said after the Real Madrid game, we can only talk about sporting issues and we’re happy there. We think this [loan spell] is good for him, good for Getafe and good for football,” he said.
“We’re pleasantly surprised by him. Today was a difficult game that was very back and forth. He helped us in attack and in defence too. He showed solidarity with his team, and he surprised us [physically].
“We are still working with him, as he has gone many months without playing. We will talk this calmly. I imagine today will have been special for him and he will have the satisfaction of feeling like a footballer again. What a footballer wants is to compete, to play.
“I only talk about the sporting side of things. Today what I take with me is the expectation of the fans, because he is a great player. We are happy [with him]. He has integrated well, taking into account how little time he has been here. His behaviour has been very good.”