England manager Gareth Southgate will not close the door on Jack Grealish or Kyle Walker despite both players flouting coronavirus lockdown rules.
Manchester City right-back Walker allegedly hosted a sex party with two escorts, while Aston Villa captain Grealish was spotted near a crashed Range Rover after visiting a friend’s house.
Both players apologised for their antics, which came despite them urging their social media followers to stay at home in accordance with stringent rules designed to limit the spread of deadly Covid-19.
Grealish was fined £150,000 by Villa, while Walker was expected to be punished by City to the tune of around £250,000.
But while Three Lions boss Southgate is understood to have been angered by their antics, The Sun reports that he will give them a chance to earn a place in his squad for next summer’s Euro finals.
(Image: Getty Images)
Grealish, 24, was expected to receive his first senior England call-up for the friendlies against Denmark and Italy, which were due to take place last month but were called off as the coronavirus pandemic escalated.
Walker has fallen down the pecking order of England right-backs and has not been included in Southgate’s squads since last summer.
However, the 29-year-old is understood to still be in the selection frame for the European Championship finals, which were due to be held this summer but have been postponed for a year.
Walker issued a grovelling apology after allegedly inviting two call girls to his home for a three-hour sex session despite the lockdown restrictions.
He said earlier this month: “I want to take this opportunity to issue a public apology for the choices I made last week.
“I understand that my position as a professional footballer brings the responsibility of being a role model.
“As such, I want to apologise to my family, friends, football club, supporters and the public for letting them down.
“There are heroes out there making a vital difference to society at the moment, and I have been keen to help support and highlight their amazing sacrifices and life-saving work over the past week.
(Image: PA)
“My actions are in direct contrast to what I should have been doing regarding the lockdown.”
Grealish also apologised for his actions, saying: “I know it’s a tough time for everyone at the moment, being locked in doors for so long, and I just got a call off a friend asking to go round to his and I stupidly agreed to do so.
“I don’t want anyone to make the same mistake I did, so I urge everyone to stay at home, follow the rules and the guidelines of what we’ve been asked to do.
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“I know for a fact that I’ll be doing that in the near future now, and I urge everyone to do the same.
“I hope everyone can accept my apology and we can move on from this and hopefully, obviously, in the near future, we can all be out enjoying ourselves again once this has all boiled over.”
Gareth Southgate makes decision on Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish England futures - Mirror Online
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