Phil Foden releases statement, breaks silence after England shame

England's Phil Foden kneels in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign [REUTERS/John Sibley]

?Phil Foden has said sorry after making an “error of judgement.”

Manchester City star Foden, 20, issued the humbling apology on social media after being sent home from England duty in disgrace.

Foden and England teammate Mason Greenwood flew home separately while the rest of the England team flew on to Denmark following the quarantine breach after it was revealed they met with two girls in the team hotel.

Foden has now released a statement as he publicly apologised for his actions just hours after his first England start.

He wrote: "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-mates, to the staff, supporters and also to my Club and my family.

"When I was called up by Gareth for these games, my first reaction was that of immense pride. To pull on that shirt for the senior team in my England debut was an incredible privilege.

"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.

England's Phil Foden in action [REUTERS/John Sibley]

"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.

"I will learn a valuable lesson from this error in judgment and I wish Gareth and the team good luck this week."

Foden and Greenwood are both facing disciplinary action from club and country which could see them banned from next month’s internationals and also miss the start of the Premier League season.

They have also been fined £1,360 each for breaking Icelandndic protocols on coronavirus.

An FA spokesperson 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 rules.

"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 to this breach. We have spoken to the Iceland FA to offer our apologies for this incident and to ensure them that we are taking the appropriate steps.

"We have also assured the Danish FA that all other players and staff members have been isolated within our group throughout this period.

"Our immediate priority now is preparing the team for the match against Denmark tomorrow."