Jude Bellingham warned Thomas Tuchel’s ‘mind made up’ on England fate | Football | Sport
And the former Manchester United and Wrexham keeper reckons the 22-year-old won’t feature in the starting XI during the build-up to next year’s World Cup following his petulant behaviour, with Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice expected to be chosen ahead of him.
Speaking on his Fozcast podcast, Foster said: “You know that you’ve got to be on your best behaviour. No matter what, when you get brought off, you smile, thank the fans and shake the manager’s hand. The problem we’ve got is that he’s probably one of the best players in the team.
“Him and Declan Rice are a good partnership, but the chemistry is not quite there. Would you carry him, though, because Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson have got a much better chemistry, and I think the chemistry suits the team better.
“I think the manager has already half made his mind up that it’s going to be Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice. I think he feels the team is much more important than having those individuals. From the coach’s perspective, it must be an absolute nightmare as well.”
The controversy risked overshadowing what had been a flawless qualifying run for England. Harry Kane‘s brace against Albania secured an eighth consecutive victory for the Three Lions, making them the first European nation to complete a campaign without shipping a single goal.
Addressing Bellingham’s response, Tuchel said: “That is the decision and he has to accept the decision. His friend is waiting on the sidelines so you need to accept it, respect it and keep on going. I have to review it. I saw he was not happy.
“To a certain degree if you have players like Jude who are so competitive they will never like it but my word stands – it is about standards, about level, and a commitment and respect to each other. So someone is waiting and we will not change our decision because someone is waving their arms.”
Former England and Arsenal star Ian Wright has defended Bellingham following the criticism. He accused the media of overreacting and suggested that critics “hate that they can’t get to him”, as Bellingham made his return under Tuchel.
Wright said on social media: “They need to create this kind of beef because there’s nothing else to talk about till the World Cup so it’s gonna be this all the way to the World Cup. They hate that they can’t get to him. They hate that they can’t negatively influence his club career like they have done to so many before him. A blessed young man with talent and love in abundance.”
