It was no more than 10 minutes, but it was long enough. Enough time for Mason Greenwood to come out onto the pitch of the Coliseum Alfonso Perez, pass between the artificial fireworks, do a couple of juggling tricks, take the official photos with Getafe’s two other new signings and answer three gentle questions.

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Enough time for a grandstand with more than 3,000 people, including children, to chant his name, encouraged by the interviewer.

Enough time for the 21-year-old to give away his new jersey, with the No 12, and to show his naked torso, visibly skinny. Enough time to take selfies with dozens of those young fans.

Enough time for the whole event, the presentation of a new striker on loan from Manchester United, to seem almost normal.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 INTERNACIONAL EN TODAS LAS CATEGORÍAS DE LA SELECCIÓN INGLESA

TODOS SABEN DE SU CALIDAD ⭐️

UN TALENTO INCREIBLE QUE LUCIRÁ EL DORSAL 12 DEL GETAFE CF.

💙 VAMOS A DAR UNA CALUROSA BIENVENIDA A MAAAAAASON…

— Getafe C.F. (@GetafeCF) September 5, 2023

“How are you feeling?” asked the interviewer and Greenwood, with a faint whisper, replied: “I’m glad to be here, excited, I’m gonna give everything for the team.

“I’m strong, I’ve been training for four or five months and now with my team-mates.”

At this point, he was cut off by the cheers of the fans who had gathered at the club’s ground some 16 kilometres south of Madrid’s city centre.

“You look good man…” continued the interviewer.

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Hours earlier, on Tuesday morning, Greenwood had his first training session with Getafe, one of the youngest teams in Spain’s Primera Division. It was the first time they had held a public session for their supporters at the stadium.

In attendance was Greenwood’s partner, who followed training from the stands of the stadium, accompanied by the player’s father, Manchester United staff who accompanied them on the trip, a lawyer, an intermediary and the sporting director of Getafe, Ruben Reyes.

Quickly, the team manager, Mejuto Gonzalez, a former international referee, presented Greenwood’s partner with a shirt with the player’s name and number on it and another for the three-month-old baby they have.

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So far, to a large degree, so normal.

And yet this is not a normal transfer.

Greenwood has not played for Manchester United since he was arrested on January 30, 2022, after graphic audio and images emerged on social media. He was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK for attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behaviour. All those charges, which Greenwood has always denied, were dropped by the CPS on February 2 this year.

As of early August, United had been intending to bring Greenwood back, only to be forced into a reversal in the face of severe criticism.

In a statement in late August, Greenwood said he had been “cleared of all charges” and at his unveiling. Getafe’s sporting director Reyes said Greenwood arrived with no suspicions and that there was “nothing to handle” because “a judge has already said it very clearly”.

In fact, the ending of legal action against Greenwood came not because of the findings of a judge, but because, the CPS said, the withdrawal of key witnesses and new evidence coming to light meant “there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction. In these circumstances, we are under a duty to stop the case”.

Reyes’ decision to speak came as a surprise as during the presentation, Getafe decided not to offer a press conference where the new players — Greenwood, Diego Rico and Oscar Rodriguez — could be asked questions by journalists. As a result, some of the Spanish media decided not to attend as a form of protest.

“It has already been said by the person who had to say it, who is a judge and is the absolute maximum authority,” said Reyes. “We have signed players who were ready to be signed and Mason, Rico and Oscar, we considered that they were good signings to complete the squad.”

But when The Athletic asked Reyes if they had investigated his case, Getafe’s press officer interrupted the answer saying: “That’s it, that’s it, we’re done on this issue. It’s already explained, we don’t want to create controversy.”

Greenwood arrived in Madrid on Sunday evening. The player’s plane arrived in the middle of a heavy storm and there was significant turbulence on landing, with the Spanish capital in a state of alarm over possible flooding.

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His loan move had been sealed just before the close of the transfer window on Friday night. Shortly after midnight local time, Getafe president Angel Torres heard a message from one of the club’s employees: “Presi, come out and see this.”

Looking down towards the gates of the club’s Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium, about a dozen teenage fans had gathered to celebrate the deal.

Greenwood’s arrival in Spain has created from the beginning an enthusiasm among Getafe fans, many of whom did not know (and some still do not know) the details behind why he has ended up at their modest club. His case has been covered significantly internationally, especially by The Athletic, but domestic media in Spain have not reported widely on the story.

When Greenwood, his girlfriend and his father took their first trip to the centre of Madrid, accompanied by Manchester United staff, he found he was able to walk down the street without attracting attention, with only a few people stopping to ask him for a photo.

On Monday morning, the first thing he did was look at houses on the outskirts of Madrid. Later, he underwent medical tests at Getafe and visited his new stadium, where he was welcomed by the club’s employees.

Many there did not know the details of his case either. Getafe’s president only became recently aware, as the deal was explored, that Greenwood had once been placed under those charges, which he denied, by the CPS.

Despite the criminal proceedings ending, Manchester United had launched an inquiry, as they sought to gain a fuller understanding of the circumstances that led to them. The club knew the police became aware of graphic images and videos circulating online before arresting Greenwood. In the footage, a man could be heard shouting at his alleged victim to “move your f****** legs up”. The woman replies that she does not want sex and the man responds: “I don’t give a f*** what you want, you little s***.”

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After six months of investigation, United’s chief executive, Richard Arnold, initially told his executive leadership team on August 1 of his intention to bring Greenwood back into the club’s first-team, formulating extensive plans reported by The Athletic, only for the club to U-turn following a social media backlash. Arnold would later claim he was taking various factors and views into account right up until the point of finalising his decision.

In an open letter to supporters on August 21, Arnold acknowledged the club had been “unable to access certain evidence for reasons we respect” but added that “the evidence we did collate led us to conclude that Mason did not commit the acts he was charged with”. Ultimately, however, Arnold said the “harsh spotlight of Manchester United” would prove too challenging for Greenwood to rebuild his career.

Getafe saw his availability as a bargain in the market, a deal that made financial sense. They will only have to pay a small part of his wages, with United continuing to pay at least £50,000 of the player’s £75,000-per-week salary.

There was also a feeling that if the loan spell went well, then Getafe could become a good destination for United’s developing players. It was another incentive for Getafe.

On Monday evening, Greenwood dined with his family and with Reyes, who invited them to a well-known steak restaurant in Madrid.

For the Spanish club, founded in its current form only in 1984 and now with 19 years of experience in La Liga, the signing of Greenwood was an opportunity at international level and that is how the club’s directors saw it.

A month earlier, they decided to give the reins of the communication strategy to the former head of communications of Celta Vigo, Marco Rocha, with the same intention: to open borders.

Two days before Greenwood’s signing, they created their first Twitter account in English. Since his arrival, their following has reached more than 30,000 followers.

The Mason𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑨 🫶💙

💫 @masongreenwood

— Getafe C.F. English (@GetafeCFen) September 5, 2023

On Tuesday morning, Getafe held that first training session in front of fans inside their stadium. Greenwood was among the players training. His last appearance for United was in January 2022, a 1-0 win over West Ham United.

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There were practically no journalists mingling among the more than 1,100 fans, mostly children as schools in Spain have not yet returned to term time. They greeted Greenwood and the team with applause. There were banners asking for Greenwood’s shirt.

“Greeeeeeenwoood, Greeeeeeenwooood….. He’s pretending not to hear! Getafe is very, very, very good!” shouted a few young fans around the tunnel.

In the early stages of training, Greenwood was accompanied by two fitness trainers, who were giving him instructions in English.

Meanwhile, in the stands, an agent involved in the transfer, the player’s lawyer, United staff, his girlfriend, his father, and Getafe’s sporting director watched on attentively, trying to escape the heat and shielding themselves from sunlight with their hands.

A few metres below, Getafe president Torres was walking in and out of the club’s offices while greeting fans like any other resident of the southern Madrid district. Getafe is still a neighbourhood club despite having a budget of more than €60million per year.

“Presi, presi! Sign Mbappe,” the same youngsters shouted. Torres, in an almost monarchical gesture, stretched out his hand to thank the support.

Greenwood then exercised with the rest of the group, accompanied by former Real Madrid youth player Juanmi Latasa, who was guiding him.

He looked a little lost, unaccustomed to training with team-mates after more than a year without doing so. Attentive to everything they said, he could be seen smiling.

After a few on-the-ball drills, Greenwood showed several flashes of quality as he took on a defender and the goalkeeper in individual moves. A sign of what the club wants, having informed him upon his arrival that he would start as a winger (although he could end up playing as a centre-forward).

“He has played 200 games for Manchester United,” commented one Getafe director, reflecting on what he was seeing.

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Even so, in the club’s offices and in the dressing room, Getafe still believe Greenwood will need time to get up to speed physically and settle in Madrid. They do not deny that he could be the best player they have had in their history. Greenwood has started Spanish classes.

By the evening, as he kicked the ball into the stand at his presentation, his name was being chanted again.

“It’s not common for Getafe to make these presentations,” explained Oscar, a 50-year-old father who was holding his son Hugo’s hand, both Getafe fans for years. “Greenwood looks good, people are very excited. He was a little-known, not a big star, but for Getafe, a player like that… I think everything has turned out well.”

“He wants to stay all the season and he will be here all the season,” said Reyes, whose club have no option to buy Greenwood. “It’s a player that we knew was there, but working step by step, having info, we saw there could be a possibility of speaking with his family, his father, and he finally trusted us. It is a satisfaction to give this joy to the people.”

(Top photo: Isabel Infantes/PA Images via Getty Images)