90min

Mason Greenwood Training Away From Man Utd Squad After COVID-19 Protocol Breach

By Jamie Spencer

Mason Greenwood was sent home from England duty in Iceland
Mason Greenwood was sent home from England duty in Iceland / James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images
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Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood is training away from the rest of the squad as a precaution following his breach of COVID-19 protocols while on international duty last week.

Greenwood was sent home from the England squad along with Manchester City youngster Phil Foden after the pair left the private and COVID-secure area of the team’s hotel in Iceland to allegedly meet two local women.

As a result of breaking quarantine, both players were told to leave the squad, which proceeded to travel on to Denmark without them.

The Sun now reports that Greenwood arrived for training back at United’s Carrington training ground for the first time on Thursday, having been instructed to stay away from his teammates and the first-team coaching staff by arriving after they had all already left for the day.

With players routinely tested to ensure there are no breakouts, United are unsurprisingly said to have requested that Greenwood returns a negative test before he is allowed to resume normal training with everyone else.

For now, however, the tabloid report adds that the 18-year-old is not in contention for the pre-season friendly against Aston Villa this weekend. He is also expected to be called in for a meeting with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he is able to safely come back into contact, although it is not thought that United have any intention of formally disciplining Greenwood.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not expected to discipline Greenwood
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not expected to discipline Greenwood / PETER POWELL/Getty Images

Earlier this week, Greenwood issued a public apology for his behaviour, acknowledging the embarrassment he had caused and accepting he acted irresponsibly.

Another United player currently training away from the first-team squad is centre-back Chris Smalling, who is awaiting a permanent transfer to Roma, having spent 2019/20 on loan there. Sky Sports notes that Smalling is back at Carrington but is working alone.

His switch to Roma is expected to happen following reports earlier this week stating that personal terms have been agreed and talks between the clubs over a fee are progressing well. Roma’s finances have been boosted this week by the €26.5m sale of Patrik Schick to Bayer Leverkusen.

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