England star Jude Bellingham been criticised for his response to being subbed by head coach Thomas Tuchel, with the midfielder told he might regret his reaction in the long-term
Jude Bellingham has been warned England head coach Thomas Tuchel might already have made his mind up about him(Image: AP)
Jude Bellingham has been left sweating over his England place following claims that Thomas Tuchel has “already made his mind up” on a midfield pairing that doesn’t include him. The Real Madrid star has attracted criticism following his angry reaction to being substituted during the Three Lions’ 2-0 win over Albania on Sunday.
Bellingham threw his arms in the air as he was taken off towards the end of the final World Cup qualifier as he made way for Morgan Rogers with six minutes of normal time remaining. England head coach Tuchel said the incident would be “reviewed” while emphasising that “behaviour is key”.
However, Bellingham has now been told by former England goalkeeper Ben Foster that the German has likely already chosen his favoured duo in the centre of midfield. And the ex-Manchester United and Wrexham shot-stopper doesn’t believe the 22-year-old will start in the run-up to next year’s World Cup due to his petulant display, with Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice preferred instead.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Foster said: “You know that you’ve got to be on your best behaviour. No matter what, when you get brought off, you smile, thank the fans and shake the manager’s hand. The problem we’ve got is that he’s probably one of the best players in the team.
“Him and Declan Rice are a good partnership, but the chemistry is not quite there. Would you carry him, though, because Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have got a much better chemistry, and I think the chemistry suits the team better.
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“I think the manager has already half made his mind up that it’s going to be Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice. I think he feels the team is much more important than having those individuals. From the coach’s perspective, it must be an absolute nightmare as well.”
The incident threatened to overshadow what has otherwise been a perfect qualifying campaign for England. Harry Kane‘s double against Albania made it eight straight wins for the Three Lions as they became the first European team to go through a campaign without conceding a goal.
Jude Bellingham with Thomas Tuchel after being substituted against Albania(Image: PA)
Commenting on Bellingham’s reaction, Tuchel said: “That is the decision and he has to accept the decision. His friend is waiting on the sidelines so you need to accept it, respect it and keep on going. I have to review it. I saw he was not happy.
“To a certain degree if you have players like Jude who are so competitive they will never like it but my word stands – it is about standards, about level, and a commitment and respect to each other. So someone is waiting and we will not change our decision because someone is waving their arms.”
Former England star Ian Wright jumped to Bellingham’s defence in the wake of the incident after accusing the media of overreacting. The Arsenal legend also claimed that critics “hate that they can’t get to him” with Bellingham shrugging off recent criticism to make his return for England under Tuchel.
Wright said on social media: “They need to create this kind of beef because there’s nothing else to talk about till the World Cup so it’s gonna be this all the way to the World Cup.
“They hate that they can’t get to him. They hate that they can’t negatively influence his club career like they have done to so many before him. A blessed young man with talent and love in abundance.”
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