Southgate still unsure over readiness of Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell

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Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell of England
  • Post published:June 27, 2021

Gareth Southgate is not sure whether isolating England duo Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell will be ready for the crunch clash with Germany.

The Three Lions are stepping up preparations for Tuesday’s mammoth European Championship last-16 tie against Joachim Low’s men, which will be played in front of more than 40,000 fans at Wembley.

England have no fresh concerns heading into the match, but Mount and Chilwell are still having to stay away from the main group at St George’s Park and train alone.

The pair are due to be in isolation up to and including Monday after coming into contact with Chelsea teammate Billy Gilmour, who tested positive for Covid-19, after the Three Lions’ 0-0 group draw with Scotland.

“It’s been quite complicated,” England boss Southgate said. “In the main they’ve had to work entirely on their own.

“They’ve been able to work in very small, well-distanced group session but not with the full group and they haven’t been able to take part in any of the full team training sessions.

“The guidance from Public Health England has been very clear, very specific and we’ve had to follow that.”

Asked if he can realistically consider them for Tuesday, Southgate told ITV: “Well, that’s what we’ve got to take into account, really.

“There’s not only the training part of that but the psychological part of that as well, of course.

“They’ve had to spend a lot of time in a room on their own, so very difficult situation firstly for the two boys.

“You come to a major tournament, you want to be a part of everything and they’ve had to isolate through this period, which is of course difficult for anybody.

“And for us we’ve just got to make that decision as we as we progress.

“I mean, as we get closer to the game they come out of the full quarantine midnight the night before the game, so we’ll be able to talk to them a little bit more than we are at the moment.

“I’m having to redo the meetings that I have with the rest of the team over a Zoom call with them, so although I can speak with them once they’ve been on to the training pitch to do their session, it’s just getting across all of that feeling that they have.”