'I am a young player with a lot to learn... I made a poor decision': Phil Foden breaks silence after being axed from England squad as he apologises for breaking Covid-19 rules alongside Mason Greenwood by inviting girls into quarantined Reykjavik hotel
Phil Foden has now spoken out after being axed from the England senior squad for inviting girls into the team hotel in Iceland, along with Mason Greenwood.
The youth pair made arrangements with an Icelandic model and her friend to come to the official team hotel, which was under quarantine rules.
Foden and Greenwood have been ejected from the England squad as a result by manager Gareth Southgate, and now the Manchester City youngster has issued a statement via social media to apologise for his actions.
Phil Foden, pictured here on a snapchat taken by one of the young women invited to the England hotel, has apologised for his 'poor decision' after being axed from the senior squad
Foden took to social media on Monday evening to issue a full apology to everybody involved
Writing on Twitter on Monday evening, Foden said: 'Following the story which has emerged today regarding my actions in Iceland, I want to make a full apology.
'I apologise to Gareth Southgate, to my England team mate, to the staff, supporters, and also to my Club and family.
'I am a young player with a lot to learn, but I am aware of the huge responsibility I have in representing Manchester City and England at this level.
'On this occasion I made a poor decision and my behaviour didn't meet the standards expected of me.
'I breached COVID-19 protocols put in place to protect myself and my England colleagues. As a consequence I will now miss the opportunity to travel to Denmark with the squad, and that hurts.'
England U23 boss Aidy Boothroyd has also had his say on the matter, telling Sportsmail: ‘I’m surprised and disappointed. Young people can be naïve but without knowing all the facts it’d be difficult for me to go into any detail.
‘I’ve been banging on about stretching talent and that’s what I believe in. Good players need to be progressed. This incident isn’t anything to do with the playing side of things.
‘We’ll be having a conversation about it with the leadership team (Ben Godfrey, Tom Davies, Eddie Nketiah) tonight and then with the rest of the lads as well.