England boss Thomas Tuchel has said Jude Bellingham is “one of 14 or 15 potential starters” at the World Cup; Real Madrid star captained side in the second half of the 1-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday; Bellingham featured in just four of the qualifiers; Declan Rice named vice-captain
Thomas Tuchel has said Jude Bellingham has a fight on his hands to start at the World Cup
Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham has a battle on his hands to secure an England starting place, as the competition for World Cup places hots up under the West Palm Beach sun.
Morgan Rogers got the nod ahead of Bellingham in World Cup qualifying – the Aston Villa man was the only England player to feature in each of the eight matches. The Real Madrid star featured in only four.
When asked whether Bellingham has a fight on his hands to be in the starting XI, Tuchel said “Yes, he has.
“He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters. These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are like 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them.”
Bellingham out-performed his friend Rogers against New Zealand in Tampa, when each played 45 minutes in the No 10 role. Tuchel admits he has been impressed with what he has seen of the 22-year-old recently.
“He [Jude] looks good. He looks good in training. I think he is at the moment in a sweet spot because he has had his break and he has the hunger to be back on the pitch and after injury – this is normal. And he is so happy to be back on the pitch. You take everything in.”
Tuchel again refused to say whether Bellingham was part of England’s ‘leadership group’ – a key selection of senior players who meet separately from the main squad to talk through tactical approaches and other important matters with the head coach and his assistant, Anthony Barry. It is a structure Tuchel has stuck with, after it was first introduced by his predecessor, Sir Gareth Southgate.
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