Jamaica head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has admitted he ‘would love’ to have Mason Greenwood in his squad, with their national federation having discussed the prospect of attempting to convince the forward.
Greenwood is eligible for selection due to his Jamaican heritage and has only played one senior game for England.
The 22-year-old’s sole appearance came in a UEFA Nations League match in September 2020 against Finland, where he came on as a late substitute.
Greenwood was later sent home for breaching Covid-19 regulations.
He would be permitted to switch nations under FIFA rules, which allow players to change allegiance if they have played no more than three competitive matches for a nation prior to turning 21.
Jamaica’s head coach has admitted he ‘would love’ to have Mason Greenwood in his squad
Jamaica coach Heimir Hallgrimsson (pictured in 2014) said a decision will rest with Greenwood
Greenwood made his only England appearance back in 2020 but would be eligible to switch
Your browser does not support iframes.
Hallgrimsson, who previously coached Iceland between 2013 to 2018, admitted he would be keen to add a player of Greenwood’s quality to his squad.
‘I really don’t like to talk about “what if”, but this, of course, has come to our mind,’ Hallgrimsson told The Athletic.
‘I would love to have him in my team. Like all coaches, I would like to have the best players in our team, but it’s always up to the player himself if he wants to do it.’
Jamaica Football Federation secretary general Dennis Chung voiced a similar interest last year February, but Greenwood is thought to have turned down the opportunity to represent the country in the first instance.
Greenwood has spent the season on loan at Spanish side Getafe with Man United ‘mutually agreeing’ the decision to continue his career away from his boyhood club.
This followed the Red Devils concluding an internal investigation into their ex-academy player.
United launched their review after charges of rape and assault against the player were dropped in February 2023, with the Crown Prosecution Service discarding the charges following the withdrawal of key witnesses.
Greenwood is thought to have been ruled out by Gareth Southgate for a later England call-up, raising the prospect he could continue his international career with Jamaica.
Hallgrimsson, who previously described the dropped charges as ‘baggage’, has suggested that Greenwood deserves a ‘second chance’.
Greenwood has spent the season on loan at Getafe after leaving Manchester United on-loan
‘I can only imagine what he has been going through,’ Hallgrimsson said.
‘The case went through stages and the case was dropped, so it’s not up to me or anyone else to judge him on that.
‘I am happy for the player that he is coming back because it is probably a trauma. It’s difficult to come (back) from, so I give him my support at least.’
Greenwood has scored seven goals in 25 matches for Getafe this season, with the club reportedly keen on extending his stay beyond the end of the season.
New Man United partial owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently implied he could return to the club after his loan spell, contrasting with the club’s commitment in the summer to make him restart his career ‘away from Old Trafford’.
