Southgate confirms Foden and Greenwood dropped for breaching Covid guidelines

The pair only made their England debuts at the weekend.

Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood have been dropped from the England squad, Gareth Southgate has confirmed. The pair made their senior debuts for England against Iceland on Sunday but will not travel to Denmark for their second Nations League game after being accused of breaking Covid-19 rules. Icelandic media published allegations the pair had hosted girls in their hotel room after the Iceland game, putting the England 'bubble' at risk. Gareth Southgate said:

"It was brought to my attention that the two boys have broken the guidelines in terms of our secure bubble. We had to decide quickly they wouldn't be able to have any contact with the team."

https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/1302952323216539654 Asked whether either or both players had women back in their hotel rooms, Southgate said they were still investigating the matter. "What is clear is that there was a breach of Covid guidelines," he explained. Southgate said he wouldn't got into more details until he knows more information, he did however say: "Nobody from outside our party has been into the areas of the hotel that we are occupying."

"It is a very serious situation," Southgate added, "and we have treated it that way. I have spent the morning dealing with this and then helping the coaches take training in preparation for the game tomorrow.

"They have been naïve and we have dealt with it appropriately. I recognise their age, but of course, the whole world is dealing with this pandemic and there is a responsibility on all ages that they do their part. We are not underestimating how important it is we keep the bubble the way we have."

England defeated Iceland 1-0 in their first Nations League game after a late Raheem Sterling penalty. The senior squad are already without a host of senior stars, including Greenwood's Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire, who was initially selected before being dropped after the outcome of a court case in Greece. Maguire and his legal team are appealing the guilty verdicts that were subsequently handed down.

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