Mason Greenwood has endured a rollercoaster of emotions since leaving his boyhood club Manchester United behind this summer, with a mixture of fan opposition and praise from his new manager highlighting the bittersweet nature of his career.
The 23-year-old left Old Trafford on a permanent deal after being told he had no future at the club and joined Marseille in a £27million move in July.
He is reportedly earning £348,000 a month (€415,000), which equates to a salary of £87,000 a week, after penning a five-year contract. That represents a slight haircut on the £100k-a-week deal he had at United before his departure.
Related articles
Despite a rocky start to life in the south of France, which included him being booed by the home fans following his controversial move earlier this summer, Greenwood has settled quickly into his new surroundings.
Under pressure to explain their logic behind the move, Marseille president Pablo Longoria defended their decision to recruit the one-cap England international and suggested Roberto De Zerbi's desire to sign him was the driving force.
"In our very first conversation with the coach [De Zerbi] we mentioned Mason's name," Longoria said in September. "The coach knew Mason from the past and it was a very quick conversation at the start between all of us because we believe in the talent of Mason.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
"There were a lot of conversations between all of us in the weeks leading up to his move. He is behaving fantastically with us and we are very happy to have him playing in our team."
Greenwood silenced the boo boys after bagging twice in his debut in a 5-1 victory at Brest in their league opener. He also scored two goals in the space of a minute in another win over Toulouse and has netted five goals in seven Ligue 1 appearances in total.
He was then labelled the standout player in the league after his first three appearances for Marseille, earning praise from RMC Sport pundit Daniel Riolo.
“In terms of pure quality, over the first three games, Greenwood is perhaps the best player in Ligue 1,” Riolo said. “We’re not going to talk about the past and the fact that he’s banned from England, we all know his story. We’re going to talk about the pitch, it’s extraordinary.
“It’s maybe two or three flashes per match but it’s sharp, crazy. His precision, his speed of execution, we’re watching a guy who has qualities that are well above average. He’s above Ligue 1, he’s a very great player.”
But the situation no longer looks as promising with De Zerbi.
The former Brighton boss originally demonstrated his determination to give him a new lease of life in France and defended him on several occasions. However, he made a point of namechecking the Englishman when asked why Greenwood had gone four games without contributing a goal or assist.
“Some of our decisive players are not in shape, like Mason Greenwood," De Zerbi said.
French outlet L'Equipe reports that Marseille remain unfazed by Greenwood's small blip as he is not alone in letting his standards fall below their required level. In fact, the French side regard him as a key component of their future plans following a summer of lavish spending, which saw them splash out over £70m on seven new players.
They could struggle to keep him though, with interest from Europe's elite clubs refusing to die down. Barcelona and Juventus were both strongly linked with Greenwood before he decided to head to the Velodrome.
But they are reportedly keen on reviving a potential deal for the forward, who is now rated at around £60m by his club - more than double what they paid for him only three months ago.
That would represent a quick profit for Marseille, leaving United boss Erik ten Hag to ponder what might have been if he kept him in and around the squad now that Greenwood is thriving elsewhere.
