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England captain Harry Kane has been in contact with Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood to make sure the youngsters don’t feel alone amid a torrent of criticism for their bio-bubble burst.
The coronavirus pandemic already made this the most challenging international arena of Gareth Southgate’s reign, but things got even tougher when the England boss had to send the duo home just days after their senior debut.
Foden and Greenwood were expelled from the group on Monday after it emerged that they had met some girls in Iceland, and Southgate said he would have removed them from the team regardless of security measures.
The England manager said “trust must be rebuilt” after an incident that overshadowed Tuesday’s 0-0 Nations League draw in Denmark, and Kane is confident the pair will learn quickly from this painful experience.
“Both guys made a mistake and they know it, and they will definitely learn from it,” said the Tottenham forward.
“It’s a lesson learned for any young player or any player who comes close to the England team – there is a lot of responsibility and a lot of people are watching. All they can do is learn from it.
“It’s a situation that kids have made but, at the end of the day, we all make mistakes in life.
“It is not something that I can control or that the other players can control.
“It’s a decision that has been made and I’m sure the guys would love to withdraw it if they could, but that’s not the case.
“I firmly believe in life that you just have to learn from negativity and that is what they will do.
“The boys have to keep going. We had another game to play and prepare for, so I think we can be proud of our performance.”
“They are young guys coming to a big world. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
The Football Association has launched a full investigation into an incident that prompted a public reprimand from its clubs. Manchester City’s Foden and Manchester United’s Greenwood made both public and private apologies, and Kane and some teammates from England reached out to the duo to make sure they know they are not alone.
“I’ve texted both of them,” added the captain. “I think it is important to hear a voice.
“They could have been in a lonely place. It’s not easy to accept criticism, especially when you’re in the eye of the media and the fans.
“It wasn’t a situation where I wanted them to feel lonely and I know a couple of the other guys have also texted them to make sure they’re okay.
“They know they made a mistake, but they will learn from it.
“They are young guys coming to a big world. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
The book of controversy ended a difficult few weeks for England, with Southgate removing Harry Maguire from the team at the beginning of a fortnight that ended without a goal in open play.
Three days after a disappointing 1-0 win in Iceland, the team put on a lifeless and monotonous performance in Denmark as the switch to a three-man defense did not pay off.
“I think we are at a stage of the season that is approaching the big Euros and we wanted to try something new,” said Kane.
“To be honest, I think we played pretty well.
“We had a good run in the first half, where we created some opportunities and we could have taken advantage of it at the end. I think people would have been talking differently.”
When asked about criticism of Southgate’s tactics, Kane replied: “I think as England manager you will always be under some scrutiny at times, but look, we are a strong group, we know what we’re aiming for.
“Obviously we are still in a great position in the Nations League and the Euro is the main goal ahead.
“We have to stand firm. People are going to talk, but I think if we can keep our heads and discipline strong in what we want to achieve, then we can go and do it.”
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