Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad featured one glaring omission – Jude Bellingham. Tuchel showed his ruthlessness when he left the Real Madrid man out, but it wasn’t without reason.
Nevertheless, it posed the question – will Bellingham be able to make it back into the England in the wake of being left out?
Before we assess Bellingham’s international future, let’s take a look at his most recent performances. Having suffered from injury before the campaign began, it has been a frustrating campaign for the Birmingham City alumni.
Jude Bellingham’s performances in 2025/26
Bellingham has yet to play a full 90 minutes for Madrid this season. Furthermore, he has also yet to register a goal or an assist thus far in the 2025/26 campaign across all competitions. The last time he found himself on the scoresheet for Madrid was back in the Club World Cup, which took place over the course of the summer.
England fans have long called upon managers to not bow down to their star players and instead select their squad based on form. As such, it is not too surprising to see Bellingham miss out this time around.
Bellingham is certainly good enough to warrant a regular spot in the England team, but he will be forced to compete against some very stern contenders for the position.
Quality options in midfield
England have some brilliant options in central midfield at the moment – among them are Declan Rice, Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo, Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White. However, on his best day, Bellingham eclipses the lot of them.
One problem Bellingham has is that he can only fulfil one role in Tuchel’s midfield three. He cannot function as a holding player and would be wasted in the box-to-box position – therefore, the only option available to him is of the attacking central midfield.
However, there is no substitute for England in this position. Bellingham is streets ahead of anyone else who can occupy the position – therefore, it seems like his return to the squad is inevitable.
Thomas Tuchel’s style of play
Tuchel likes to employ a dynamic, fluid style of football. While we have yet to see its effectiveness in a major international tournament, there is no doubt that it should suit Bellingham down to the ground.
Furthermore, as mentioned, his propensity for utilising a midfield three will also suit Bellingham. In a midfield two, we feel he would be asked to take on too many responsibilties, which in turn would limit his effectiveness and stifle his greatest attributes.
Theoretically, Bellingham could also play out wide or as the number nine – he featured in the latter position for long stretches at Madrid.
Despite this, Bellingham is a player whose quality is worthy of accommodation. He is England’s best asset when he is fully fit and should be allowed to play in his natural role. England managers have been criticised over the years for shunting square pegs into round holes – let’s see if Tuchel has learned from the mistakes made by his predecessors.
What about the younger Bellingham?
Manchester United have been strongly linked with the younger Bellingham and ex Sunderland man – Jobe who followed his brother’s path and joined Borussia Dortmund. Who knows maybe both brothers will play for Los Blancos before too long.
Could either brother be tempted to join a PL side like Chelsea or Man City? We shall see.