Chelsea/England duo Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell will have to miss tonight’s England-Czech Republic clash due to covid-19 protocols. Having been designated as “close contacts” of a player who tested positive for COVID-19 at Euro 2020, their club teammate and Scotland midfielder Billy Gilmour, they are now in forced isolation.
While they’ll have to miss tonight’s monster of a group stage clash against the Czechs, England will still be moving on to the knockout round, and when that happens, Mount and Chilwell might possibly be cleared to feature at some point.
There is also a chance that they might miss out on the rest of the tournament entirely.
The official statement issued by the FA reads: “We can confirm that Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount must isolate up to and including next Monday [28 June]. This decision has been taken in consultation with Public Health England.
“The pair were confirmed overnight as close contacts of Scotland’s Billy Gilmour after his positive test following last Friday’s match.
“Chilwell and Mount will isolate and train individually in private areas at England’s training base St. George’s Park, with the rest of the squad returning there after tonight’s fixture against Czech Republic at Wembley.
“We will continue to follow all COVID-19 protocols and the UEFA testing regime, while remaining in close contact with PHE.
“The entire England squad and staff had lateral flow tests on Monday and all were again negative, as was the case with Sunday’s UEFA prematch PCR tests. Further tests will be carried out as and when appropriate.”
Mount and Chilwell were seen embracing Gilmour at the conclusion of the England-Scotland goalless draw on Friday, and it is believed their pow wow continued on down the tunnel, hence the “close contacts” designation. Mount has started both of England’s Euro 2020 matches, so he will definitely be missed.
Chilwell has yet to feature at the event, and was left out of the squad entirely for the win over Croatia.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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