England captain Harry Kane is texting Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden to make sure ‘they don’t feel alone’ as the squad rally around the rulebreakers after they were kicked out for inviting girls back to Iceland quarantine hotel
- Harry Kane has opened up on how he has been in contact with both Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden after they were banished from the England squad
- The two young players were caught breaching coronavirus protocol in Iceland
- Kane wants it to be a ‘lesson learned’ and as captain he has been in contact
Harry Kane has revealed he has been texting Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden after the shamed pair were axed from the England squad for sneaking an Icelandic beauty queen into the team hotel in Reykjavik.
Boss Gareth Southgate sent the two young players home after the 1-0 win over Iceland after details emerged that they had brought two women into the team hotel, breaching coronavirus protocols.
England went onto Denmark without them and after Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw Kane revealed he had been keeping in close contact with Greenwood and Foden to ensured ‘it’s a lesson learned’.
Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden have been contacted by England captain Harry Kane after they were sent home from the Three Lions squad for their Iceland hotel fiasco in Reykjavik
Kane feels a responsibility towards younger players and so he has been texting the pair
‘The two lads have made a mistake and they know that, and they’ll definitely learn from that,’ Kane said.
‘It’s a lesson learned for any young player or any player that comes up to the England team that there’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of people are watching. All they can do is learn from it.
‘I have text them both. I think it is important to hear a voice. They could have been in a lonely place. It’s not easy, taking criticism, especially when you are in the media’s eye and the fans’ eye.
One of the women was videoed while on the phone to Foden and Greenwood, making plans
‘It wasn’t a situation where I wanted them to feel alone and I know a couple of the other boys have text them as well to just make sure they’re doing OK.’
Both Greenwood and Foden apologised for their conduct publicly as well as privately and the Football Association have launched an investigation into the incident.
The misdemeanour broke both FA protocol for the trip as well as Iceland’s coronavirus rules.
Icelandic police have now fined the duo 250,000 Icelandic Krona (£1,300) for the rule breach during the coronavirus pandemic, which must be paid by the individuals themselves and not by the FA or their clubs.
Both players had been called up to the senior side for the first time in this camp and made their debuts against Iceland, only for social media footage to appear the following day showing them breaching the rules.
Foden and Greenwood had been called up to the senior England squad for the first time each
The Icelandic girls – 20-year-old model Nadia Sif Lindal Gunnarsdottir (right) and her cousin Lara Clausen
In a statement released on United’s website, Greenwood said in his apology: ‘Having now had the chance to reflect on what’s happened, I can only apologise to everyone for the embarrassment I have caused.
‘It was irresponsible of me to break the COVID-19 protocols which are in place to protect players, staff and the public. In particular, I want to apologise to Gareth Southgate, for letting him down, when he had shown great trust in me.
‘Playing for England was one of the proudest moments in my life and I only have myself to blame for this huge mistake. I promise my family, the fans, Manchester United and England that this is a lesson I will learn from.’
More to follow.