Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi has revealed why he opted against starting Mason Greenwood against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening.

Greenwood left Man Utd permanently during last year’s summer transfer window as he joined Marseille in a deal worth around £25m.

The 23-year-old initially departed Man Utd before the 2023/24 campaign, heading to La Liga outfit Getafe on loan.

This exit from Man Utd came about after the case against him was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service. He was facing charges relating to attempted rape and assault, but the hearing ended following the withdrawal of key witnesses.

Greenwood has 16 goals and three assists in his 28 appearances for Marseille this season and has been linked with several European giants ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

Despite this, Greenwood has started Marseille’s last two Ligue Un matches on the bench. Earlier this month, a report from RMC Sport claimed the forward has been ‘irritating’ club chiefs with his situation ‘worrying’.

‘Regarding Mason Greenwood, his case has been worrying De Zerbi for several weeks, the staff, and even the management, increasingly impatient with him. Even if it is also his style, Greenwood displays a nonchalance, an attitude and a lack of effort that irritates.’

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‘Above all, there is a huge gap between his potential and his contribution to the game, especially at the heart of a team that generally crushes its opponent in terms of ball possession and therefore needs everyone to be in tune and concerned by the game.’

Greenwood was restricted to a 27-minute cameo appearance off the bench against PSG on Sunday as Marseille suffered a 3-1 loss. This leaves De Zerbi’s side 19 points adrift of the Ligue Un leaders.

Speaking post-match, De Zerbi claimed Greenwood didn’t start because he was “not in the right physical condition”.

“For me, he’s not in the right physical condition to play,” De Zerbi said.

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“Mason is a crucial player for us. But if I’m not mistaken, at the beginning of the season Dembele wasn’t in the starting XI.

“We need Mason, but he has to be in good physical condition. It’s very important at this point in the season.”

PSG boss Luis Enrique credited his squad following their “exceptional week” as they look to “win all the trophies” this season.

“It’s been an exceptional week for us. A classic always motivates players from both teams, and I think we put on a great show tonight,” Luis Enrique said.

“It’s difficult to get the ball to Marseille, and even more so to PSG. Each coach tried to play his cards right. It’s obvious that after a game like Liverpool, we had the chance to play a classic and that kept us on our toes.

“I’m very happy with my team and the support of our supporters. Our aim is to win Ligue 1, to win all the trophies, that’s our hope.

“We’re aware of the huge challenge facing us, and we’re working hard every day to achieve (what we want).”

According to reports, Chelsea have ‘made their decision’ on whether to sign England international Jadon Sancho from Manchester United permanently.

Sancho joined Chelsea on loan with an obligation to buy during the 2024 summer transfer window.

The winner failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford after joining Man Utd for around £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

The 24-year-old barely featured for United last season as his fallout with Erik ten Hag led to him joining Dortmund on loan in January.

Sancho featured heavily for United during pre-season but Ten Hag and United’s recruitment team still sanctioned his move to Chelsea.

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The Chelsea loanee made a strong start to this season, but his decline in form in recent moves has fuelled speculation surrounding the possibility of a proposed permanent transfer being cancelled.

Sancho’s obligation clause sets up a £25m permanent transfer if Chelsea finish 14th or above in the Premier League this season, but they could accept a ‘significant penalty’ to opt out. 

A report over the weekend revealed Chelsea’s ‘stance’ on retaining Sancho beyond the end of this season and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on his situation.

“It’s true that Chelsea can pay a fee to Manchester United and not proceed with the obligation to buy for Jadon Sancho,” Romano said.

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“It’s the reality, but it’s not the intention. From day one Chelsea signed Sancho from Man Utd on loan with an obligation to buy because they want to keep Sancho and Sancho wants to be at Chelsea.

“So that’s the idea and that’s the view and obviously Man Utd don’t want Sancho back. That’s the clear indication on Jadon Sancho.”

A report from Football Insider goes further, suggesting Sancho to Chelsea permanently is ‘certain’ on one condition with a ‘decision made’.

The report explains:

‘Chelsea are certain to sign on-loan winger Jadon Sancho if they qualify for next season’s Champions League, sources have told Football Insider.

‘The Blues have an obligation to buy the Man United star, 24, for £25million when his loan spell comes to an end this summer. However, it has emerged that Chelsea can pay a fee to United and cancel the deal if they wish.

‘Enzo Maresca’s side believe a £25million outlay is a good deal for a player of Sancho’s quality, with the winger impressing at Stamford Bridge so far in the 2024-25 campaign.

‘It is believed the deal will be certain to go ahead should Chelsea push on and secure Champions League football for the 2025-26 season – with a fifth-place finish likely to be enough to do so.’

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim has provided an injury update on youngster Ayden Heaven after he had to be stretchered off against Leicester City on Sunday.

The Red Devils celebrated a 3-0 win over the Foxes over the weekend with Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes scoring the goals.

Man Utd moved up to 13th in the Premier League with the win and the top half of the Premier League is now seven points away for the Red Devils.

But the win was slightly soured by a nasty-looking injury to Heaven with the 18-year-old having to be stretchered off early in the second half.

Heaven stretched to cut out a Jamie Vardy cross to deny Patson Daka a chance in a great bit of play but his team-mates’ reaction soon turned to concern after it was clear he was staying down.

He received treatment for around five minutes from the Man Utd medical staff before he was stretchered off, which, for obvious reasons, is usually seen as a sign of a serious injury.

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Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison is hopeful that Heaven won’t be out too long after an outstanding start to his Man Utd career and reckons he may have rolled his ankle.

Morrison said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Ayden Heaven signalled to the bench straight away. Maybe he rolled something but you’ve got to hope the young man is alright.”

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After the match, Amorim issued an update on Heaven’s injury but couldn’t give too much clarity, the Man Utd boss said: “It’s hard to know because we have to evaluate during the week.

“Even when he was on the ground he cannot speak and doesn’t know to explain what he’s feeling because he’s so young.

“He already played well against Arsenal and Real Sociedad. Today for me was the most difficult game for him because we expect him to relax a bit, but he was so focused.”

Giving his initial assessment of the win after the match, Man Utd boss Amorim said: “I think it was good. I felt a little bit a lack of energy, but they gave everything. Some players were tired and also with the Ayden [Heaven] problem.

“I think we deserved the win and we controlled the game. We could be better with the ball but I understand after these two weeks with a lot of games. I think the lads deserved the win. And it was a perfect way to end this week with the win for our away supporters.”

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Manchester United are mid-table when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs.

For the purpose of this ranking we are counting only major trophies and not including league titles from the second tier and below. And the gaps are counted from the club’s first silverware, not their formation. That would be a bit harsh.

Fulham (146 years and counting)
Aside from a Division One title in 2001, a handful of Division Two and Division Three (South) crowns and the 2002 Intertoto Cup, Fulham have a bare trophy cabinet to show after almost a century and a half of existence. They have lost two major finals in their history, with West Ham (1975 FA Cup) and Atletico Madrid (2010 Europa League) providing slightly different opposition. Roy Hodgson was their last manager to do so much as reach a quarter-final before Marco Silva.

Brentford (135 years and counting)
Even if we counted the Football League Trophy, Brentford have failed three times to win the darned thing despite reaching the final. We cannot be too harsh on a club that has spent most of its existence in the non or lower leagues, though two years ago they teased us before losing in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup to Tottenham Hotspur while still a Championship club.

Bournemouth (126 years and counting)
The Cherries have at least claimed a Football League Trophy (beating Hull in the final in 1984) but major trophies have not even been on the radar for much of their existence. Even under Eddie Howe, they never advanced further than a quarter-final. Manchester City stand between Andoni Iraola’s side playing at Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final.

Brighton (123 years and counting)
The three-time third-tier, two-time fourth-tier and one-time Southern Football League champions have otherwise rarely threatened when it comes to major silverware. There was a 1910 Charity Shield win over Aston Villa when it was presumably considered to be slightly more than a pre-season Curtain Raiser. The Seagulls did reach the 1983 FA Cup final and even forced Manchester United to a draw at Wembley but one-game Liverpool captain Jimmy Melia watched his relegated side slip to a 4-0 defeat in the replay. When they returned to the national stadium in 2019 they managed a creditable 1-0 semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed for a unique domestic Treble. And no, those 14 Sussex Senior Challenge Cups count for nothing here, son.

Crystal Palace (119 years and counting)
By default of forming four years later, Crystal Palace hold a slight advantage over their bitter rivals. It should be said that any patron of Selhurst Park is contractually obliged to refer to themselves as a Zenith Data Systems ultra but the Full Members’ Cup was an unserious competition and thus that 4-1 victory over Everton in the 1991 final deserves to be overlooked. Other than that, Palace reached the 1990 FA Cup final but could not quite put the final nail in Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United reign, while Alan Pardew put a Bela Guttman-style hex on them forever with that sodding dance in 2016.

Palace play Fulham in the last eight of this season’s FA Cup, while Brighton face Nottingham Forest at home. It is very possible one of these three win their first-ever trophy.

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Nottingham Forest (61 years)
There were two world wars between Forest’s first FA Cup triumph in 1898 over rivals Derby County and their second in 1959 v Luton. Bizarrely, there have been no more FA Cups even though they have since claimed four League Cups, one league title and two actual European Cups. It’s been 35 years since their last silverware but that’s a shortish drought compared to the one ended at Wembley under Billy Walker, the only manager to win FA Cups either side of the war.

Newcastle United (56 years)
Over five decades from winning the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – which Newcastle lifted by beating Ujpest to end what was then a 14-year drought since their last FA Cup victory – the Magpies are celebrating again. After the disappointment of the Carabao Cup final in 2023, they beat Liverpool in the 2025 final.

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Southampton (49 years and counting)
Lawrie McMenemy chose quite the moment to deliver Southampton’s only silverware to date. The second-division Saints sunk Manchester United in one of the finest Wembley shocks in history, the 1976 showpiece also being the last FA Cup final attended by the Queen. We are the champions etc and so on.

Wolves (45 years and counting)
They won the 1908 FA Cup but had to wait until the 1949 edition to taste such success again, with their current barren spell stretching as far back as the 1980 League Cup victory over Nottingham Forest.

Ipswich Town (44 years and counting)
Ipswich have not won a major trophy since the UEFA Cup in 1981. They will be ruing a defeat on penalties to Nottingham Forest in this season’s FA Cup because, even for them, it is there for the taking.

West Ham (43 years)
The last team outside the top flight to win the FA Cup was, of course, West Ham. Arsenal never saw Trevor Brooking coming in 1980. The Hammers actually won the Second Division and finished as League Cup runners-up a year later, plugging that ongoing gap ever so slightly with a 1999 Intertoto Cup win over Metz. Steven Gerrard happened to them in the 2006 FA Cup final. But then Jarrod Bowen came along and scored a pretty big goal against Fiorentina in 2023.

Aston Villa (37 years)
The resounding victory over Leeds in the 1996 League Cup final was the last time Aston Villa lifted a trophy outside the play-offs or the bloody Intertoto Cup. Those 27 dry years pale in comparison to the 37 they spent yearning for glory after the 1920 FA Cup final. A Peter McParland double in the same competition in 1957 pipped Matt Busby’s champions and European Cup semi-finalists.

Manchester United (37 years)
It was actually Busby who ended Manchester United’s own wait after the same length of time. Blackpool were outclassed at Wembley by a side in the middle of finishing second for three consecutive First Division seasons in 1948. The Red Devils had spent a decent amount of time in the second tier since Ernest Mangnall took them to their second title in 1911.

Manchester City (35 years)
Manchester United had handily provided a reminder to Manchester City as to how long it had been since their bitter neighbours won a pot, with the mocking banner at the Stretford End first appearing in 2002 and showing 26 years on the clock. It had ticked over to 35 when Yaya Toure scored the only goals in 1-0 semi-final and final wins in the 2011 FA Cup, laying the foundations for a club that would come to dominate the domestic game.

Leicester (33 years)
There was a period around the late 1990s when Leicester just decided that the League Cup was where it was at. Martin O’Neill guided the Foxes to the final of the competition in 1997, 1999 and 2000, beating Middlesbrough, losing to Tottenham and overcoming Tranmere respectively. It was actually the same tournament that brought Leicester’s first major honour when they beat Stoke in a two-legged tie in 1964.

Tottenham Hotspur (30 years)
The current drought is 17 years and counting. They have uncharacteristically rarely gone all that long without silverware, their longest stretch coming between the 1921 FA Cup and 1951 First Division title. And it would be harsh to blame even Spurs too much for an actual World War.

Everton (30 years and counting)
Everton’s post-1995 FA Cup win run has included a solitary final in which they scored after 25 seconds and still lost. Ouch.

Chelsea (26 years)
Managers will come and go but Chelsea will surely never come close to 26 years without silverware again. Their last 16 trophies have been won by seven different managers and Enzo Maresca will surely bring home the Europa Conference League, thus making the Blues the first club to win all three major European trophies. The club had 13 coaches in the two-and-a-half decades between Dave Sexton securing the 1971 Cup Winners’ Cup and Ruud Gullit delivering FA Cup success in 1997.

Liverpool (24 years)
When a quarter of Liverpool’s longest trophy drought ever was taken up by the Second World War, you do start to realise that they are historically pretty good at doing the football. That was certainly the case when they beat Sunderland to their third league championship in 1923, as well as when they pipped Manchester United to their fourth in 1947. Imagine going 24 years without winning a title. How incredibly embarrassing.

Arsenal (17 years)
It seemed like a lifetime had passed when Arsene Wenger finally ended his personal nine-year dry spell by eventually winning the 2014 FA Cup final in ridiculous yet typical circumstances. Arsenal themselves had gone almost twice as long between trophies before, edging the 1953 First Division title with a slightly superior goal average to Preston and then recovering from a 3-1 first-leg deficit to beat Anderlecht in the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final.