Jude Bellingham could be England’s number nine during the World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel briefly trialled the Real Madrid star in the role during England’s final friendly against Costa Rica, but it is clear he is a serious option. England captain Harry Kane is the first choice at centre-forward, but Bellingham, who is in form, could be an option in another formation. Tuchel could use both Bellingham and Morgan Rodgers in the same line-up if Kane is unavailable or needs a break.
England boss Tuchel said: “You’ll probably see that in the competition. It’s simple. Jude can play as a number nine, almost in the same way as a free role, he can come in and drop into midfield, drop into the half-spaces and start dribbling more and Harry can start giving more assists.”
“Jude has the personality to score goals, to be decisive, to get into the box, so there’s also the option of playing with him and Morgan Rodgers. I would have liked to have seen that at least for a few minutes. Let’s see. Ollie Watkins was good too, Ivan Toney was good against New Zealand and he’s training at a high level, so that’s good. I have a few options.”
Anthony Gordon celebrates with teammates Jude Bellingham and Nico O’Reilly after a penalty (Image: 2026 The FA)
Meanwhile, Tuchel admitted Bellingham wanted to take a penalty against Costa Rica, but it was manager Anthony Barry who gave the penalty to Anthony Gordon.
Out of order amidst the substitutions, Gordon stepped up and converted after stealing the ball from Bellingham. Bellingham was clearly delighted to start against Costa Rica and was in line to start against Croatia.
Tuchel added: “I think he was going to take it away. Anthony Gordon was listed as number two (penalty taker) but because of all the changes it wasn’t that clear. It was up to us to be more clear so it took a little bit of time, but Anthony is the taker and he took it away.”
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The referees also held discussions with England about the new rules for the World Cup.
And Tuchel admitted he feared the changes would cause referees to worry even more during the tournament.
FIFA has told officials to crack down on wasting time, with new instructions regarding grappling in corners, while additional VAR checks will be carried out for corners and second yellow cards.
Tuchel has already said that his team had been cited as an example of how a forced goal from a set-piece was not allowed and was shown to the referee in a friendly against Uruguay in March. The fear is that referees will be on high alert for England games, but Tuchel admitted he still has concerns about referees.
England manager Tuchel said: “They spoke to us, they gave us clarity. There were a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, a lot of things for VAR and the referee to decide. It doesn’t matter whether I’m satisfied or not. We play by the rules! ” he said.
“What I’m saying is we need to pay more attention to officiating and it’s already hard. The games are getting more and more intense. Hopefully they can find a consistent way of officiating.”
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