Mason Greenwood was relegated to the substitutes' bench for Marseille's Ligue 1 clash with Nice on Sunday after 'paying the price' for 'some friction' with manager Habib Beye last week. The former Manchester United striker is Marseille's leading marksman this campaign, but he wasn't selected to start the crucial league encounter against Nice.
Speaking before kick-off, Beye suggested that the choice to drop Greenwood was down to managing an injury he sustained last month, and the England international has been dealing with that issue since. Beye took over from Roberto De Zerbi as Marseille's new manager in February.
He 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, who has scored 25 goals in 42 outings, saw another factor behind Beye's decision to name him on the bench. In fact, it's alleged that the former Getafe player is 'paying the price for some friction with his coach' during training sessions and was consequently disciplined by being placed among the substitutes.
Beye ultimately turned to Greenwood and introduced him in the 63rd minute at Stade Velodrome. Nevertheless, he couldn't 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 standings, four points adrift of third-placed Lyon in the battle for Champions League football. The French club have three league matches remaining, beginning with an away fixture at Nantes before games against Le Havre and Rennes.
Greenwood made the switch to Marseille for £27million from United in 2024 and has rejuvenated his career in France, with an impressive tally of 47 goals and 16 assists in 78 appearances, catching the eye. Yet Greenwood wasn't the only notable absentee from Beye's starting line-up for Nice's visit, as Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri also found himself an unused substitute, having struggled to settle into life in France.
Nwaneri moved to France in January in search of regular first-team football, but the move hasn't worked out how he'd hoped so far. The 19-year-old has not made a start since Beye took charge on February 19.
Justifying his choice to keep Nwaneri on the bench, 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."
