If Tuchel’s words can be believed and that directive does not change, then this should be a moot point. However, it remains a burning issue in Marseille and among a certain section of English fans online. The view from France is that Greenwood would be an advantage.
“Yes, absolutely,” Lamperti responds when asked if Greenwood could be a weapon for the Three Lions. “He can be a super sub. He’s only 24, he still has a lot of room for improvement and he’s brimming with confidence. He just needs to feel loved. But I don’t think England are ready to forgive him.”
However, Marseille-based English football journalist George Boxall, who covers OM, disagrees.
“If we leave aside the legal case and his past, then there is an argument to say that he has something to claim on that side,” he says. GOAL. “He is the top scorer in Ligue 1 and has played objectively electric football at times; his statistics have already surpassed the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle in France. The problem is that you cannot separate the player from his past, it is simply not realistic to do so.”
Asked if he thought there was any chance of Greenwood being recalled, Boxall continued: “I would have imagined that if there was genuine public contrition, an explanation and better communication on his part, it could have been achieved, but it is too late now. “He still plays football, he is happy in Marseille and he already has his second chance as someone who still plays football at the highest level and is paid to do so.
“Playing for England will reopen those scars from the past and will benefit no one involved: not Tuchel, not Greenwood, not his family, let alone the victims of sexual abuse more broadly.”