Southgate at loggerheads with Madrid over Bellingham

There’s no doubt whatsoever that the star of English football this season other than Harry Kane is Jude Bellingham.

Whilst Kane is ripping it up in the Bundesliga, Bellingham has done much the same with Real Madrid, scoring an incredible 13 goals and providing three assists in just 14 matches during 2023/24 per WhoScored.

A shoulder injury has put paid to his contributions in the last couple of match days but that apparently hasn’t stopped England from insisting he report for international duty.

Moreover, it would appear that Gareth Southgate is intent on playing him in at least the second of the two games England will play during the current international break.

According to AS (h/t Football Espana), that hasn’t gone down well in the corridors of power at Real Madrid, who clearly don’t want to see their player of the season regress in terms of injury.

More Stories / Latest News

What’s more, England have already qualified for Euro 2024, so it makes no sense whatsoever to be bringing Bellingham into the fold when he’d clearly benefit from some downtime.

The player comes across as being an incredibly strong willed character despite being only 20 years of age, so one might expect that he too will open his mouth and suggest the need for rest on this occasion.