Pennant was sent home from the England U21 camp this week by coach David Platt. Platt had imposed a curfew on Saturday night, oredering the players to stay in the hotel, having returned from the loss in Portugal in the early hours.

But Pennant is reported to have broken out, and Platt was not impressed. "Jermaine didn't act in a professional manner and I dealt with the situation," he said. "Part of my job is making people understand what's acceptable and what isn't. We are talking about international football here. That sort of behaviour isn't professional preparation."

It's Pennant's first bit of naughtiness of this kind, so he's not expected to face further punishment.

The Arsenal bosses comments were typically balanced. Although some of the headlines will say he's given Pennant a warning, what he actually said about Pennant's potential future at Arsenal was quite positive.

"It was a disappointment to me that he was sent home, of course it was. Does he have a future here? Of course he does. "

"He made a mistake and was punished. But his future is down to him..... I can't say much more because I don't really know what happened. "