England’s Greenwood apologises for virus breach after being axed

London: Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has apologised for the embarrassment caused by his breach of coronavirus regulations while on England duty in Iceland.

The 18-year-old said he had learned a lesson from the incident, which resulted in his being dropped from the squad for Tuesday’s Nations League match in Denmark, along with Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden.

England manager Gareth Southgate refused to comment on the nature of the breach but media reports said the pair left the bio-secure bubble to meet two local girls. Both players have been fined 250,000 Icelandic krona ($1,800, £1,350) by Reykjavik police and the Football Association said it would be launching a full investigation.

“Having now had the chance to reflect on what’s happened, I can only apologise to everyone for the embarrassment I have caused,” Greenwood said in a statement.

“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.”

Greenwood added: “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.”

Foden, 20, issued an apology on social media on Monday, saying he would learn a “valuable lesson”.

Earlier, Southgate branded Foden and Greenwood “naive” after the England pair were sent home and fined by Icelandic police for a “serious” breach of coronavirus protocols.

“Unfortunately this morning it was brought to my attention that the two boys have broken the Covid guidelines in terms of our secure bubble,” Southgate told reporters.

“We had to decide they couldn’t have interaction with the rest of the team and wouldn’t be able to train. Given the procedures we have to follow now, they will have to travel back to England separately.”

A Snapchat video released in Iceland appeared to show the players with female company.

After reports Foden and Greenwood brought the women back to the team hotel in Reykjavik, the Football Association said: “Whilst in Iceland, both Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood spent time outside of our private team area, which was a breach of our Covid-19 duties.

“While they did not leave the team hotel, it was an unacceptable breach of our protocol. They have both apologised for their serious lack of judgement.

“The FA will be launching a full investigation into the circumstances leading up this breach.”

Agencies