Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden 'paid inside man' to smuggle girls into hotel

Euro Under 21 Qualifier - England Under 21 Training - St. George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - November 11, 2019 England's Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood during training [Reuters/Carl Recine]

The Manchester United striker and Manchester City midfielder breached coronavirus protocols by meeting two Icelandic women in another area of the hotel housing England's squad

England stars Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden paid a hotel worker to smuggle two Icelandic women into the building the Three Lions were staying in, according to reports.

The 'man on the inside' is alleged to have helped Foden and Greenwood bypass the strict coronavirus rules banning visitors in Iceland.

But the pair were sent home in disgrace on Monday after the England camp learned they had left the bio-secure bubble to meet the women in another section of the hotel.

Greenwood and Foden were also fined £1,300 each by the Icelandic police for their actions, which occurred only days after they made their Three Lions debuts.

In order to smuggle 20-year-old model Nadia Sif Lindal Gunnarsdottir and her cousin Lara Clausen, 19, into the hotel, a worker received a hefty sum.

One source told The Sun : “They were very keen to meet the women and needed help from an employee, who received a very generous tip.

“There cannot be any doubt they knew what they did was wrong. All the rules had been drummed into them.

"There was less security than usual travelling as no fans were allowed in the stadium and the players took advantage of that.”

Euro Under 21 Qualifier - England Under 21 Training - St. George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - November 11, 2019 England's Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood during training [Reuters/Carl Recine]

But Foden and Greenwood were foiled the next morning as a physio confronted them to prevent contact being made with the rest of the squad, and the players have since issued apologies.

Meanwhile, former England defenders Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher clashed when discussing how Southgate should deal with the Manchester City and Manchester United stars.

Neville defended the duo and called for them to be given a second chance, telling Sky Sports : "We have seen situations like this 100 times, in six months' time, won't get mentioned that much.

"Six years' time no one will remember it. They have to remember that tonight. They will still be loved by their team-mates. The reality is they are young kids."

But Carragher anticipates Foden and Greenwood will be absent from England squads in the short term. "I think the lads may find it tough to get themselves back in the next squad," the former Liverpool man added.

"Gareth will want to put a marker down there. There have been situations in the past with him involving Rooney, Sterling and Gomez.

'So there may be some punishment to come, but it won't be set in stone. I do think they will be used in the Euros, they are two of the best young English players coming through.

"And just because you are good, your mistakes shouldn't be forgotten, but just keep their head down and let their football do the talking."