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Thomas Tuchel says he cannot guarantee Jude Bellingham a place in England’s World Cup starting XI, as he revealed Declan Rice will be vice-captain.
The Real Madrid midfielder did not start the 1-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday, with Morgan Rogers preferred in the No 10 role behind Harry Kane.
That position is one of several Tuchel admits is not nailed down in his thinking ahead of next Wednesday’s group-stage opener against Croatia.
Bellingham impressed when replacing Rogers at half-time but, unlike captain Kane, Tuchel says he is one of the players still fighting for a starting jersey.
‘Yes, he is (fighting for a place),’ said Tuchel. ‘He’s one of the starters, he knows that, but there are 14, 15 potential starters. Then there’s a special group and then there is a leadership group. Then there are guys who finish matches for us and get the energy right and have the role of setting the standards and accepting their roles for challenging.
‘These roles can always change but, in my head, there are 14, 15 proper starters, and Jude is one of them.’
Thomas Tuchel said Jude Bellingham isn’t guaranteed a place in his World Cup starting XI
Bellingham is fighting for the No 10 role with Morgan Rogers (above) and Eberechi Eze
Bellingham wore the armband in the second half in Tampa but Tuchel says that was because he was the player with the most caps. It will be Rice, he says, who serves as deputy to Kane in North America.
‘I would say Declan is my vice-captain,’ revealed Tuchel. ‘We started with Ollie (Watkins) against Wales (in October) and Declan was captain. That was when I told him (he would be vice-captain).’
Tuchel would not confirm whether Bellingham was part of the leadership group, but the England boss believes the 22-year-old has arrived in Florida in a good place.
‘I think he is actually, at this moment, in a sweet spot, because he had his break and has the hunger to be back on the pitch,’ said Tuchel. ‘You can see Jude has the decisiveness, he has the bite, this is a key characteristic.
‘You can see that he comes from an injury and is full of energy, happy to be back on the pitch. He had his break, unfortunately, in a decisive part of the season for Real Madrid. He’s fresh, he wants to play, and he’s in top shape. He looks good in training.’
Meanwhile, Kane has expressed concern over the condition of the pitches that await at the World Cup, after Tuchel admitted the surface in Tampa was ‘uneven’ and ‘did not help’ his team.
‘The pitch wasn’t great,’ said Kane. ‘That’s going to happen in the tournament. We like to play quick and we like to play sharp, and that wasn’t always possible on that pitch. It was a bit sticky and dry. These are experiences we have to cope with.’
