Thomas Tuchel confirms Jude Bellingham's role in the England squad

Chirag Sharatkumar

Thomas Tuchel confirms Jude Bellingham's role in the England squad image

Thomas Tuchel has provided clarity on Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham’s place in his plans after he was left out of the squad for England’s recent international fixtures.

The Three Lions cruised to a 3-0 friendly win over Wales on October 9 before running riot against Latvia on Tuesday (October 14), securing a 5-0 victory in Riga.

That win also sealed England’s qualification for next summer’s World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The result marked yet another milestone for Tuchel, who became the first-ever England manager to win his first six competitive matches without conceding a goal.

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But Tuchel opted not to call Bellingham up for the October run of international fixtures, with the 22-year-old having recently returned from a stint on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

Tuchel to hold talks with Bellingham

Tuchel confirmed he plans to speak with Bellingham ahead of the November international break, noting that the midfielder had done nothing to warrant getting dropped to begin with.

“I guess so. Why not? Of course, he's an important player, he's a big player,” Tuchel said when asked if he would speak with Bellingham.

“I will speak to a lot of players, also to the guys that will get a text from me, who were not in camp, especially them.

“Because these guys who are now here, they have the reward and they feel the reward. And it's now necessary also that I stay in touch with the other guys.

“No one has done anything wrong. It's not a punishment or whatever and I feel when I text them and I speak to them, that everyone is eager to come back and this is how it has to be.

“So there are a lot of guys out there who would deserve to be with us.”

England round off their World Cup qualifying run by hosting Serbia at Wembley on November 13, before facing Albania away on November 16.

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Chirag Sharatkumar

Chirag Sharatkumar is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, with a focus on the Premier League, international football, and global fan culture. He also has extensive experience with the Stats Perform news agency and is a keen long-form sport and culture writer and storyteller. His work can be found on the pages of MUNDIAL Magazine and across various Substack platforms.