England ban Starbucks food from team hotel including sandwiches, muffins and SYRUP in bid for World Cup glory

GARETH SOUTHGATE has slapped a snacking ban on his England players in the pursuit of World Cup glory.

Southgate wants his squad to stick to a strict diet while with the national team as part of his plans to help the Three Lions challenge for success in Russia 2018.

And he has even gone to the lengths of ordering the Starbucks cafe at the FA’s National Football Centre to stop stocking treats in their shop whenever the players are there.

England stay in the Hilton Hotel on site at St George’s Park – a destination that also houses a coffee shop.

But when they turned up for duty this week ahead of their friendly clashes with Holland and Italy, the players discovered the lengths Southgate is going to to ensure they stay healthy.

All food has been removed from display at the Starbucks which is located on a mezzanine level just past the reception.

The usual menu of sandwiches, muffins and other cakes has been removed from sale for all paying customers – including those who are not part of the England set-up.

Southgate has even instructed those working in the cafe to refuse to add syrups to drinks for any players, while fizzy drinks are also unavailable.

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It means the only products on sale for the duration of England’s stay are teas, coffees and bottled water.

The England coaching team are going to huge lengths to ensure they keep on top of the diets of the players while they are under their control.

They employ dietitians and chefs to cook up dishes aimed at maximising the mental and physical performance of the squad.

Southgate is not the first team manager who has taken a keen interest on what enters the bodies of the players.

When Fabio Capello was in charge of the Three Lions, he angered some of the players by banning tomato ketchup from being served at meal times.

David Moyes was another who imposed a tough regime when he took charge of Manchester United, upsetting squad members by ending the tradition of oven chips on the night before games.

At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola stamped his authority on the club when he joined in 2016 by removing pizza and fruit juice from the menu of the players.

And Guardiola is also understood to have introduced a policy of making his players eat nuts after each game.