There were fewer than 100 fans outside Getafe’s Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Perez 80 minutes before kickoff due to heavy rain south of Madrid.

Greenwood walked from the coach to a home dressing room that will become more familiar as the season progresses.

In the media tribune half an hour before Getafe’s 3-2 La Liga win over Osasuna, only four journalists watched Greenwood and his fellow substitutes take part in a tame warm-up session.

An hour into the game, Greenwood was told to warm up. He made his return to football 20 months after he was charged with a number of serious offence, including attempted rape and assault. Getafe coach Jose Bordelas signaled for the 21-year-old to take the pitch.

While clearly out of peak fitness, Greenwood still managed to produce some standout moments akin to those that made him a Manchester United regular.

Getafe’s 86th-minute winner came from a trademark stepover and powerful shot which earned a corner. Bordelas said afterward that it was a special day for him. “It will give him great satisfaction to feel like a footballer again, because football is about playing and competing.”

Greenwood’s story, and how he ended up in an environment so different from the one he had been used to before January 2022, is far more complex than a simple analysis of a 15-minute substitute appearance.