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While Thomas Tuchel recognises that Jude Bellingham is now one of world football’s most high-profile stars, he still seemed slightly puzzled by the debate that raged after the Real Madrid man was left out of the last England squad. Tuchel will tell you that Bellingham missed the last two games because his comeback from a shoulder operation was still gathering pace and that he is now back in the squad because he is up to speed and in good form. But if Tuchel wanted to send a message to every established England player, he did that when he omitted Bellingham, says Jamie Carragher . “Back in the England squad, Jude Bellingham will now feel he has got something to prove. I think it was really good management, really strong management,” said Carragher, speaking at the launch of a new Sky Bet/British Heart Foundation initiative in the pioneering Every Minute Matters campaign*. “Jude Bellingham is one of the best players in European and world football. England cannot go to the World Cup without Jude Bellingham but I actually admire what the manager has done. "And it can work in the long run. Thomas Tuchel knows he does not need Jude Bellingham to win qualifying games and he can also send a message to Jude Bellingham, who is England’s biggest-named player. “But that also sends a message to the rest of the England squad. If Jude Bellingham can be left out of the England squad, then so can anybody. Last time, he left Phil Foden out as well.” Tuchel, of course, had to explain comments he made about some of Bellingham’s behaviour after saying, in a radio interview, that his mother found it ‘repulsive’. But while Carragher believes the focus should now move away from the Tuchel-Bellingham relationship, he does like the way the German is not afraid to upset people. Carragher said: “That is Thomas Tuchel’s way. He is going to ruffle a few feathers - he has done that at all the clubs he has been at. I think it was to be expected. We all love a manager standing up to the big-name players. "He is trying to build this thing where it is not just about certain star players, it’s about the team. I am all for that. The great thing about the England team recently is that the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Rogers have shown themselves capable of playing at this level in positions Bellingham plays in.” England have already qualified for the World Cup finals but still have two Group K matches left to play. Tuchel’s side face Serbia at Wembley on Thursday and then travel to Tirana to face Albania on Sunday. *Jamie has teamed up with Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to launch a major new awareness campaign. The new initiative is part of the pioneering Every Minute Matters campaign which has already successfully inspired over 350,000 people to start learning CPR since the campaign was launched in May 2024 *Jamie says: “ Anyone can learn these lifesaving skills. That’s why I’m urging everyone in grassroots football to take 15 minutes to learn CPR and defibrillation with the BHF’s brilliant free online tool, RevivR.”
