Let’s tackle drug abuse in the game

I’M worried and disturbed but sadly not surprised that a 16-year-old has been banned from football for nine months for possession of a growth hormone.

We need to look seriously at drug use in the game because we’ve seen a decrease in testing in some countries and a ‘Let’s be a light touch on testing because we don’t want to open a can of worms’ attitude seems to be pervading the game.

Sports such as athletics and cycling have been proven to be cesspits of cheating for decades, and football simply doesn’t want that stigma.

There’s no surprise that kids and pros competing for a spot in a team in a sport that’s getting faster and one in which untold riches are on offer are turning to shortcuts to reach the top.

And I know I’m not alone in wondering what we’d find under the rock if we bothered to look.

I’M looking forward to seeing how the players who come in as injury replacements at Leicester fare because we’re going to see if those such as Hamza Choudhury (above) are the real deal. If they are and if Leicester do get into the top four with the injuries they have had, then the achievement will be right up there with the Foxes’ miracle Premier League win of 2015-16.

Not only that, but it would rubber stamp what the owners, Brendan Rodgers and the backroom staff have done, and so, too, the youngsters who hope to play at this kind of level for years to come.

MASON GREENWOOD is running out of time to win a place in the England squad for this summer’s Euros.

Manchester United forward Greenwood is seen as one of England’s best prospects but is more likely to end up part of the Under-21 squad for their European Championship bid.

Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane are England’s first-choice front three while Jadon Sancho, Danny Ings and Dominic Calvert-lewin are all in the frame. And the emergence of Mason Mount, plus the growing claims of Jack Grealish and James Maddison, means competition for a Three Lions place is at its stiffest.

Greenwood (above) has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford and has not made the England squad since being sent home in disgrace from Iceland last year.

The Under-21 tournament has a different format this year with group matches being played this month – England face Portugal, Croatia and Switzerland – and the finals in June. Greenwood, 19, is likely to be a key member of the squad, with the senior compeition coming too early for him.