Roberto De Zerbi apologises for Mason Greenwood comments in first Tottenham interview
Tottenham Hotspur new head coach Roberto De Zerbi has apologised for his previous comments about Mason Greenwood.
De Zerbi faced a lot of criticism due to his public support of the young forward during their time together at Marseille.
Greenwood was charged with attempted rape and assault in 2022 when he was a Manchester United player.
The 24-year-old denied any wrongdoing and was subsequently cleared of all charges.
Several Tottenham supporter groups expressed serious concerns when De Zerbi was linked with filling the vacant head coach role following Igor Tudor’s sacking.
But despite their concerns, the Lilywhites confirmed the Italian’s appointment on Tuesday.
De Zerbi has now issued an apology in his first interview as Tottenham boss: “I’m sorry if this offended anyone and their feelings with this subject matter – I have a daughter and I’m very sensitive to these things, and I always have been. I hope that over time people will get to know me better and will understand that at that moment I didn’t mean to take a stance.”
Tottenham are in serious danger of suffering relegation to the Championship after the disastrous run of results under Tudor.
They picked up just one point from the Croatian’s seven league matches in charge.
Spurs currently sit just a point above the relegation zone with seven games remaining in the season.
De Zerbi is a top manager who performed an impressive job at Brighton & Hove Albion and Marseille.
But he now faces the challenge of retaining Tottenham’s top-flight status, which is a different task altogether.
De Zerbi’s first assignment as head coach will be an away fixture to Sunderland this weekend.
The Black Cats will be in a buoyant mood following their huge victory against bitter rivals Newcastle United in their last game before the international break.