Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Jude Bellingham does not have a guaranteed starting role at the World Cup and has to show a fight to be assured of one.
The Real Madrid midfielder is expected to battle it out with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers for the number ‘10’ role in the Three Lions squad, alongside Declan Rice and Elliott Henderson in midfield.
Rogers was Tuchel’s preferred option for the greater part of the qualifying campaign, while Bellingham made a few appearances due to his injury struggles.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, Tuchel revealed that Bellingham would need to show why he wants the starting role more and would not be handed anything on a plate.
“He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters”, Tuchel said.
“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.
“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”, the former Chelsea boss concluded.
Meanwhile, England are without several of their stars for the tournament, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Luke Shaw, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, Harry Maguire and Adam Wharton all left out of the team.
The Three Lions will begin their hunt for a first major trophy since 1966 in group L of the World Cup, with their opening game against Croatia on June 17.
They will also face Ghana and Panama in their two remaining group games on June 23 and 27 respectively.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
