Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood have been sent home separately after they allegedly invited two women to the England team hotel in Reykjavik and broke coronavirus isolation rules as a result.

The players had made their senior international debuts in the 1-0 win over Iceland on Saturday – Foden as a starter, Greenwood as a substitute – but they did not train on Monday morning. At a press conference for England’s match against Denmark on Tuesday, Southgate said: “Unfortunately this morning it was brought to my attention that two boys have broken Covid guidelines in terms of our secure bubble. We had to decide very quickly that they couldn’t have any interaction with the team. They wouldn’t be able to travel to training. Given the protocols they have to follow they have to travel back to England separately.”

Asked if the duo had invited women to their rooms, Southgate added: “Nothing has happened in the areas we occupy in the hotel. We are starting to get to the depths of all the information. This was only brought to my attention before training. It was a clear breach of Covid guidelines. We have no alternative but to do what we are doing. They’ve been naive, I recognise their age but the whole world is dealing with this pandemic and there’s responsibility on every age group in playing their part and not spreading the virus. They have apologised.” Continue reading