Greenwood matched PSG’s Ousmane Dembele’s tally by netting six times in his final eight fixtures of the season to help secure Marseille’s Champions League qualification. La Provence reports that Benatia sought to move the 24-year-old on due to his insufficient defensive work, with Greenwood said to have deliberately steered clear of the sporting director at the club’s facilities.

Former manager Roberto De Zerbi held similar concerns, omitting Greenwood from Marseille’s starting XI for fixtures against Lens and PSG last March. The Italian said at the time: “I expect more from him. He has to do more, because what he is currently showing is not enough.

“If he wants to achieve his ambition of becoming a champion, he has to be more consistent, sacrifice more and be more determined.”

The former Brighton manager subsequently stated: “Greenwood is a very good person whom I love, as I love his father. He’s had a bit of a tough time lately because he had a daughter who was born, and I don’t think he’s used to playing such an intense season and being a main player. I think he paid for it physically.

“That is to say that he didn’t push himself and wasn’t 100% as I wanted in training, in terms of what I expect from a player like him.

“His physical condition has declined a little, but my project in Marseille is not only to qualify for the Champions League, it is also to create something like what Luis Enrique has created (at PSG). He has created a team, a group of strong players, but with a soul.”

Greenwood has since established himself as a crucial figure for the Ligue 1 outfit, netting 25 times across 37 matches in all competitions for Marseille this term.

Multiple prominent European sides, including Barcelona, Napoli and Atletico Madrid, have reportedly registered their interest.

United offloaded the striker for £26.6million while also securing a substantial sell-on clause within the agreement.