Adding to the turbulence, England boss Thomas Tuchel made headlines when he left Bellingham out of the latest international break. His reasoning sparked debate.
“The last camp was only three and a half weeks ago. Teamwork, team spirit were at the highest level so far,” Tuchel explained. “That’s why we decided to invite the same group into this camp, to make more stable what we started to build.”
“Are there players out there who deserve to be with us? Yes, for sure. Is there a way back into the team through performance? 100 per cent. We think this is the best and most straightforward position. The competition is on to be in the squad and to make it onto the pitch,” he added.
“I understand your focus on Jude [Bellingham]; he is a very special player, and for special players, there are special rules. But for this camp we decided to stick with our decision to invite the same team, that also applies to Jude. He always deserves to be in camp. There is also the situation that he hasn’t gathered his full rhythm for Real Madrid. He hasn’t finished one full match until now; he has only started one now. He is getting back to full strength. We had a phone call. There is no issue from that side, he just lacks rhythm,” the England boss added.
It’s a rare public reflection on Bellingham’s form — and one that perhaps mirrors how Real Madrid’s own internal marketing team might currently view his position within the squad: not yet at his peak, and not their current poster boy.