Mason Greenwood poised for international return five years after winning only England cap

Mason Greenwood earned one cap for England – a Nations League clash with Iceland in September 2020 – when he was 19, meaning that he can still change his international allegiance

Mason Greenwood is close to making a return to international football, five years after his one and only England cap. Greenwood, 23, has been granted Jamaican citizenship and is eligible to represent the Caribbean nation through his parents.

The ex-Manchester United forward currently plays for French club Marseille, having left Old Trafford, where he came through the academy, a year ago. In January 2022, United suspended Greenwood following allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Police dropped the charges against him in February 2023, six months before he was loaned out to Spanish side Getafe. The 23-year-old hasn’t played at international level since his debut for England in September 2020.

FIFA laws state that if a player has made no more than three competitive appearances for a country before the age of 21, and was eligible for the second country at the time of their first appearance for the first country, they can change nationalities. Having been 19 at the time of his debut, Greenwood qualifies.

Now that he’s secured a Jamaican passport, the only thing left is for him to change from the English FA to the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). Should that go smoothly, Greenwood will be eligible to represent Jamaica during their World Cup qualifiers against Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago next month.

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Greenwood scored 22 goals in 36 games during his first season at Marseille. The forward has been linked with moves Inter Milan and Al-Nassr during the summer transfer window.

A change at international level looks more likely, however. Former England manager Steve McClaren declared in March that he’s ‘very confident’ Greenwood will play for Jamaica.

“We are in contact all the time, with him and his family,” McClaren explained. “I am very confident he only wants to play for Jamaica. It is up to him when he moves forward with that. The ball is in his court.”

Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia recently insisted that Greenwood isn’t for sale and he won’t be switching clubs this summer. As quoted by 365Scores Arabia, Benatia said: “Greenwood will stay with us. He is not for sale.

“We want to keep him and consider him a key part of OM’s project for the upcoming season. In Saudi Arabia, I had a team-mate who had played with him in Spain and told me he was a phenomenon. I’m happy he’s with us.”

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