Jude Bellingham decision made! Thomas Tuchel makes huge England selection call after leaving Real Madrid superstar out of last Three Lions squad

Questions were asked of Bellingham’s character on the back of those comments, with Tuchel eager to establish squad harmony ahead of a bid for World Cup glory. He has said: “We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else.

“That’s how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: ‘He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren’t in the team, you cannot build a team with them’. It’s not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can’t do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

“For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don’t collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance.”

The Athletic reports that Bellingham will be given a chance to prove his worth when Tuchel names his latest England squad on Friday. He has been catching the eye for Real Madrid of late, netting three goals through his last four appearances, and will get the chance to add to his collection of 43 senior international caps.

Danny Murphy will be among those pleased to see Bellingham welcomed back into the fold, with the ex-England midfielder having told GOAL in the wake of October’s snub: “I find the narrative around his character and any problems a little bit strange because when I have watched England - I have watched them a lot at tournaments and watched him closely, he is, by far, the best character on the football pitch when England play, in terms of producing big moments, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, leaving everything out there.

“If you could have 11 Jude Bellinghams, you would win most tournaments. The element of not talking to the press or not doing interviews or the odd swear word or rant or a little bit of what some people would call arrogance, that is what creates the player on the pitch. They are just rumours because a lot of the feedback from the players - Jordan Henderson recently said how much he likes him and how great a character he is - I think some of it has been exaggerated.

“From a footballing perspective, we have a much better chance of winning the World Cup if he is in the team. I don’t mean just in the squad, I mean in the team. He is a phenomenal talent. We should be - as pundits, fans, press - building him up, applauding him and being thankful that we have got him, not trying to pull him down because he is the best one we have got. He is the game-changer in our side. He is the one that can make things happen. He’s just a phenomenal player.

“I don’t blame Tuchel for not bringing him back on this particular occasion because he has only played a few minutes for Real Madrid. I understand that and don’t see that as a drama. I don’t see that as a big statement. We are playing two games we should win comfortably - let him get on with his fitness, let him get on with building himself back up. I would be absolutely gobsmacked and amazed if he is, if fit, not in Tuchel’s first XI come the World Cup.”

Click here to read article