Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham will have to compete for a place in England’s starting line-up at the World Cup, with the manager insisting there are “14 or 15 potential starters” in his squad.
Since taking charge of England in January 2025, Tuchel has started the Real Madrid midfielder just four times, with three additional appearances coming from the bench.
Instead, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has become a regular feature in the side, playing in 12 of Tuchel’s 13 matches and featuring in every one of England’s eight World Cup qualifying games.
When asked if Bellingham faces a fight to start, Tuchel was direct.
When asked if Bellingham fights with his hands to be in the starting XI, Tuchel told reporters: “Yes, he has.
“He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters.
“These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them.”
Bellingham was a key figure under previous England management at Euro 2024, where he started all seven matches and missed only 29 minutes of the tournament, but his role has shifted under Tuchel.
The 22-year-old missed two qualifying matches last September through injury and was left out of the October camp, including a qualifier against Latvia.
He returned in November but again missed out in March due to a persistent hamstring issue, interrupting his rhythm in the international setup.
His relationship with Tuchel has also drawn attention at different points, including after the manager described Bellingham’s reaction during last June’s defeat by Senegal as “repulsive” — a comment he later apologised for.
In November, Tuchel also said he would “review” Bellingham’s behaviour after his reaction to being substituted against Albania in a qualifier.
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Despite that background, Tuchel said he was encouraged by Bellingham’s latest display in England’s 1-0 World Cup warm-up win over New Zealand in Tampa.
Bellingham captained the side after coming on at half-time and completed the match, with Tuchel suggesting the midfielder has now reached a more stable point in his form.
“You can see Jude has for sure the decisiveness and bite,” Tuchel said.
“This is his key characteristic, but you can see that he comes from an injury and is full of energy and happy to be back on the pitch.
“He had his break, unfortunately, in a decisive part of the season, the Champions League season and campaign for the championship in Spain, so this was very unfortunate for Real Madrid and for him personally.
“But you can see now that he is actually in a sweet spot. He comes back, he’s fresh, he wants to play and he’s in top shape.”
