Thomas Tuchel has warned Jude Bellingham that the Real Madrid midfielder faces a fight to earn a place in England’s starting line-up at the 2026 World Cup.
Bellingham is back in Tuchel’s squad for their final World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania this week after being left out of the last international gathering in October.
The 22-year-old had just returned from shoulder surgery when Tuchel opted against selecting him for the Wales and Latvia matches last month, allowing Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers to shine in the number 10 role for England.
Rogers’ impressive performances have presented Tuchel with an intriguing dilemma as he looks ahead to next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Rather than finding a position for the best players to have them on the field, it is maybe better to put everyone in their best position and have a competition,” Tuchel told reporters on Wednesday when asked if he would try to fit both players into his team.
“At the moment, the competition is between the two of them. They are friends, so it is a friendly competition.
“They don’t have to be enemies and hate each other. They are respectful and they fight for the same position.
“Can they play together? Yes, but in a different structure and now is not the moment to change the structure.”
Bellingham’s return comes after Tuchel was forced to apologise earlier this season for claiming his mother found some of the playmaker’s on-pitch antics “repulsive”.
