Manchester youngsters lacking quality while on international duty

Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood exposed their age after the two were caught being “naive” while in Iceland.

Break the rules and then pay the price! This is the current situation for two of England’s brightest talents, Phil Foden from Man City and Mason Greenwood from Man United.

The two Manchester boys were caught offside while in Iceland and were immediately sent home by their manager Gareth Southgate.

They will miss the trip to Denmark for the Three Lions’ National League clash with the Danes. The pair were found guilty of violating coronavirus “guidelines” at the hotel they were staying at.

There has been no official report of what they did exactly but a video has been circulating, with one of the players chatting up an Icelander on the phone (link to the video at the bottom of the page).

"Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden will not travel with the England squad from Iceland to Denmark after breaching UEFA’s coronavirus protocols, Gareth Southgate has confirmed."

Besides the exclusion from the national team, they’ve also been fined by the Iceland authorities and were instructed to pay these fines out of their own pockets. The fine is said to be £1,360 (250,000 Icelandic Krona) for each player.

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"Iceland’s police force has confirmed to Sky Sports News the players have each been fined 250,000 Icelandic Krona (£1,360) for the rule breach, which must be paid by the individuals themselves and not by the FA or their clubs. (Via: Sky Sports)"

Rules and relegations around travelling, as well as all sports, have increased due to the sweeping pandemic. For football to continue at a steady pace, without any failure to launch and as little interruptions by COVID-19, week in week out, teams and staff members must follow strict rules/guidelines.

The warnings couldn’t be any more alarming as there have been many players around the world (mostly Europe) to have contracted the virus in recent days and weeks. Even tennis megastar Serena Williams is unclear about taking part in the French Open, as a spike in the virus hits hard in multiple regions.

Players’ have not been immune to COVID

Greenwood’s teammate Paul Pogba contracted the virus a few days ago. Several players from PSG including Kylian Mbappe all tested positive. In Liverpool’s first weeks of preseason preparations, they found two cases.

Foden is the second Man City player to break protocol after Kyle Walker’s funny business during the early stages of the lockdown when football was on hold until further notice.

And his partner in crime, Greenwood is the second United player to be withdrawn from the national side after Harry Maguire’s criminal charges in Greece. The two (Phil and Mason) have since taken to their social media accounts, apologising for their immature behaviour while on country duty.

Sadly, they are not out of the woods just yet with the FA launching a full investigation into the matter. And judging by the video, it could get a lot worst before it gets better for the Manchester youngsters.

They just got their call up and recently made their England debut. The question for Southgate is how far do you go with the punishment? Do they handle it with an open and understanding mind considering their age?

Or do they have to enforce their hand to ensure they set an example to the rest of the world? Think we can all agree here that the real crime is them not learning from other players mistakes.

What do you think should happen Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood once the FA have concluded their investigation?

Video link here!