Mason Greenwood not included in Man Utd's Champions League squad - but will still play

Mason Greenwood of Manchester United celebrates scoring a goal to make the score 1-3 during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, 2021 in London, United Kingdom.

Mason Greenwood will be eligible to feature for Manchester United in the Champions League this season despite fears the teenager had been omitted from their squad.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was required to submit a 25-man squad list for the upcoming group stages, which began after the conclusion of the international break.

Some high-profiles names including Phil Jones were absent from the final list, despite the 29-year-old holding the status of a homegrown player.

Summer signings Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Tom Heaton have all been included as part of the group of players made available for European fixtures.

But when it was pointed out that Greenwood’s name was left off the list, Man United fans were understandably concerned that the teenager had been the victim of an administration error or picked up an unknown injury.


The 19-year-old had missed out on taking part in Euro 2020 with England this summer after suffering from burnout and was not included in their most recent squad either.

However, Red Devils supporters do not need to panic as Greenwood will be able to play.

UEFA rules state under their regulations that players under the age of 21 whom qualify as “homegrown” do not need to be registered.

Instead, these players are added to the ‘B’ list and are not named as part of the 25-man squad.

It is a rule that English clubs often take advantage of and United are merely repeating the same stance they took last season when they included academy graduates Shola Shoretire and Anthony Elanga on the B list.

Given the pair’s exposure to first-team football over pre-season, it seems likely that Solskjaer will give some minutes to the exciting starlets for the upcoming group stage fixtures.

Marcus Rashford also made the cut although the England international will not return to action until October after undergoing surgery on his shoulder.

But Jones will miss out as Solskjaer already has four centre-backs to pick from, while Lee Grant misses out on a place to Heaton, who joined on a free transfer from Aston Villa this summer.

Man United will begin their European adventure with a trip to Switzerland to face champions Young Boys on September 14.

Europa League winners Villarreal and Serie A outfit Atalanta are the other teams to make up Group F, with United strong favourites to progress as group winners.

Man Utd’s 25-man squad for the Champions League:

Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Dean Henderson, Tom Heaton

Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Alex Telles, Luke Shaw

Midfielders: Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay, Fred, Donny van de Beek, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes

Attackers: Jadon Sancho, Amad, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo.

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