Jude Bellingham will be recalled by Thomas Tuchel for England’s final two World Cup qualifiers at home to Serbia and away to Albania.
The Real Madrid midfielder is due to be back in the squad – which will be announced on Friday morning – after being dropped by Tuchel for the October camp, despite recovering from shoulder surgery and being involved in four matches for his club.
The omission caused a huge stir especially as Tuchel also stated that he probably would still have left out Bellingham, who has not played for England since the disappointing June internationals, in particular the friendly loss at home to Senegal, even if he was 100 per cent fit.
The story felt even bigger because after the Senegal game Tuchel revealed that his mother found some of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour “repulsive”. Tuchel later apologised for the remark, insisting that he used the word “unintentionally”.
With his last squad Tuchel argued he wanted to build on the success of England’s previous two qualifiers in September and in particular the impressive 5-0 win away to Serbia that kick-started his reign after an underwhelming start.
Bellingham was unavailable for those September matches but there was, still, an expectation he would come straight back in. It felt like Tuchel was making a point about squad harmony and being part of a group, especially as he talked about the importance of being a team player – even if he did not single out Bellingham in his public statements.
Tuchel has spoken of his desire for continuity in the run-up to the World Cup and has warned players they must buy into a “Team England” mantra to remain in his plans. He also said he was not afraid to leave out big names if they did not fit in.
England have now qualified for next year’s tournament in North America and although there is nothing riding on the last two qualifiers, Tuchel is determined to keep the momentum England have gained and wants to choose his strongest possible squad.
It would have been a major talking point if Bellingham had been left out again and would have raised serious doubts as to whether Tuchel would take him to the World Cup and if there was a bigger problem between the pair.
It will also be interesting to see how Bellingham fits into Tuchel’s plans and whether he goes back into the team. Up until being left out he had been an automatic selection when available but Morgan Rogers has thrived in the number 10 role – Bellingham’s preferred position.
Tuchel also has plenty of other options in that role with Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White in his previous squads and with Phil Foden returning to form at Manchester City. There is also Cole Palmer who is out injured at present.
Bellingham has started each of Madrid’s last five matches in all competitions, scoring in three of them including the recent 2-1 win over Barcelona. He struggled, as did Madrid, in the Champions League defeat away to Liverpool – a game that Tuchel chose not to attend as he finalised his squad selection with his coaching team at St George’s Park.
Tuchel will have been acutely aware of the circus it would have created had Bellingham been left out this time round, for England’s last internationals until March, and can argue that his recent club form and return to full fitness has made for a compelling case that he is recalled.
However having argued that he wanted to keep faith with the squad from previous get-togethers it will be interesting to see how he explains omitting someone in favour of Bellingham if that is what he decides to do, or elects to choose a bigger squad.
The obvious player for Bellingham to replace is Ruben Loftus-Cheek who has not started a game for AC Milan since the last international break, while striker Ollie Watkins has not scored a goal for Aston Villa during the same period. Jarrod Bowen is also goalless for West Ham United since England last played.
Tuchel is also weighing up whether to reward 34-year-old Danny Welbeck with an England recall for his performances for Brighton and Hove Albion. Welbeck has scored six goals in his last six games and it is understood he has a very strong chance of earning a recall for the first time in seven years.