Mason Greenwood was relegated to the substitutes’ bench for Marseille’s Ligue 1 clash with Nice on Sunday after reportedly ‘paying the price’ for ‘some friction’ with manager Habib Beye during the previous week. The former Manchester United striker is Marseille’s leading marksman this campaign with 25 goals in 42 appearances, but he was omitted from the starting XI for the crucial league match against Nice.
Speaking before kick-off, Beye suggested that the decision to drop Greenwood was down to managing an injury he sustained last month. Beye, who succeeded Roberto De Zerbi as Marseille’s new manager in February, said: “We’ve been looking at Mason since the beginning of the week; he’s very limited by the injury he sustained in Lille.
“He’s played two matches with significant pain, we can’t risk him.”
However, Foot Mercato subsequently reported that Greenwood’s injury isn’t the sole reason behind Beye’s decision to name him amongst the substitutes.
In fact, it’s suggested that the former Getafe man is ‘paying the price for some friction with his coach’ during training and has been disciplined by being put on the bench.
Beye ultimately turned to Greenwood and introduced him in the 63rd minute at Stade Velodrome. Nevertheless, he was unable to inspire his Marseille team to victory, as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s second-half header was cancelled out by a late penalty from Elye Wahi.
The result left Marseille languishing in sixth place in the Ligue 1 table, four points adrift of third-place Lyon in the battle for Champions League qualification. The French club have three league matches remaining, beginning with an away trip to Nantes before clashes against Le Havre and Rennes.
Greenwood joined Marseille from United for £27million in 2024 and has proven to be an outstanding acquisition, with his 47 goals and 16 assists in 78 appearances turning heads.
However, he wasn’t the only notable name Beye opted to leave on the bench for Nice’s visit, as Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri remained an unused substitute throughout the fixture, having struggled to settle into life in France.
Defending his choice to name Nwaneri among the substitutes, Beye said: “He’s a quality player, but he has to give us way more in his day-to-day commitment. Other players gave way more.”