England head coach Thomas Tuchel has caused some surprise by choosing not to call Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham into his Three Lions squad for games against Wales and Latvia this month.
Jude Bellingham has an “elite mentality” and will likely return to England’s set-up. So thinks Jordan Henderson, one of Bellingham’s closest allies within the England team and who has a special bond with him.
England manager Thomas Tuchel caused a huge shock by leaving Real Madrid star Bellingham out of his squad for matches against Wales and Latvia. But Henderson insists England are a better team because of Bellingham, and that the idea that the 22-year-old has a big ego is misplaced, insisting he is a “world-class person”.
England veteran Henderson said: “What Jude has achieved so far in his career at such a young age has not just happened by chance. He has an elite mentality. As I said, when he first joined the team, he was mentally mature beyond his years. That’s why he has continued to perform at the highest level for so long now, and continues to do so. So he will continue to work hard.”
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“He’s coming back from a long shoulder injury that has been bothering him for quite some time. I think it’s important for him to get back to full fitness, to make sure his shoulder is fully recovered, to get playing time on the pitch and to find his rhythm.”
“He will take this time over the next week or so to get fit on international duty and is keen to play afterwards. “We’re talking about a world-class player here.
“He’s very special. He’s very special. To be fair, there are some special players on this team. But in Jude’s case, when he first joined the team, I think everyone knew he was a very special player.”
“The way he trains, the way he lives his life around football, the way he loves the game, wants to improve, the ability he has on the pitch. He’s a world-class player and I know he’s going to get a lot of talk and headlines, but all that matters to him is to focus on football.”
“He’s been injured for a few months. I know what he’s like. He’ll focus on his football and get as fit as possible. So when he comes back, he’ll be flying for the next few weeks.”
Tuchel started the conversation about Bellingham, saying his mother found some of the England star’s on-pitch behavior “disgusting”.
After the team’s 5-0 win without Bellingham against Serbia last month, Tuchel said it was good because “there was no attitude after the mistake, no frustration, no waving, no staring, no swearing.” We’ll never know if he meant Jude.
But Henderson insisted the public perception of Bellingham was wrong, adding: “For the players, the outside perception… they don’t know. You know what I mean? They’re making assumptions. At the end of the day, they’re making things up.”
“From the outside looking in, you never hear the noise and the media and things like that because a lot of times it might not be true or it can be misconstrued, but the players know what Jude is like as a person and as a player.
“He’s a world-class player, a world-class person and a member of the England squad. When he plays, he’s even better because of the type of player he is.”
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