Gary Nevilla expects Gareth South gate to show empathy to Greenwood and Foden

Gary Neville. Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Gary Neville expects England manager Gareth Southgate to show empathy to Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood after the pair were sent home for breaching coronavirus regulations.


Manchester City playmaker Foden and Manchester United forward Greenwood left the England camp within 48 hours of making their Three Lions debut in a 1-0 victory against Iceland on Saturday.

The pair will miss England’s second Nations League game in Denmark on Tuesday and earned a public rebuke from their clubs after breaching the strict bio-bubble in Reykjavik.

But Neville believes his former international team-mate Southgate is better equipped than any of his recent predecessors to handle the situation.

“He’ll be concentrating on that when he knows questions won’t be on that.

“It’s very often that things that come as a surprise and you’ve not planned for and expected that is the most difficult part of the job.”

The Football Association has vowed to launch a “full investigation” into the circumstances leading up to the breach of the Covid-19 regulations.

The FA said Foden and Greenwood did not leave the team hotel but spent time outside the private team area, and have apologised for a “serious lack of judgement”. SportsMole