Manchester United Women manager Casey Stoney has apologised for joking that a USA player has "schizophrenia" and “will be in a cult” during commentary of England’s 3-2 win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday night.

Former England defender Stoney, 37, and commentator Robyn Cowen can be heard joking that a female footballer - believed to be North Carolina Courage defender Jaelene Hinkle - is “nuts” and a “God botherer” in footage that was still available on the Football Association’s streaming service on Wednesday morning. The FA Player showed an interview with a Czech footballer but Stoney and Cowen’s conversation was dubbed over the audio.

The pair were discussing Hinkle’s religious beliefs around homosexuality. In June 2017, defender Hinkle withdrew from the USA national team over a jersey honouring LGBT Pride Month, saying the following year: "I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn't my job to wear this jersey.” She is a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage, tweeting that “this world is falling farther and farther away from God” on the day same-sex marriage was established in the US. Stoney is one of the UK’s most visible gay athletes.

When Stoney remarks that she “would refuse to play in the same team as Hinkle”, Cowen recalls an interview in which Hinkle discusses her withdrawal from the USWNT. Cowen said: “She was, like, ‘I asked God and he said you must turn it down because of her beliefs.’ I’m, like, you’re nuts.”