Real Madrid are reportedly upset with England’s handling of Jude Bellingham during the international break, after the midfielder sat out of the Three Lions friendlies with Uruguay and Japan.
Bellingham, 22, has been fighting for fitness after injuring his hamstring in early February, and only managed a brief cameo off the bench in Los Blancos’ derby day victory over Atletico Madrid two weeks ago.
Nevertheless, England head coach Thomas Tuchel opted to call up the not fully recovered Bellingham to his expanded 35-man squad for the final international camp before he chooses his cohort for this summer’s World Cup in North America.
The midfielder trained with his team-mates ahead of both the 1-1 draw to Uruguay at Wembley and Tuesday’s shock 1-0 defeat to Japan, but did not play a single minute in either game.
Tuchel saw it as ‘too much of a risk’ to give Bellingham minutes on the pitch, but this decision has seemingly left officials in Madrid baffled.
The Los Blancos star’s brief excursion to the national team has been deemed ‘a pointless trip’ by Spanish media outlet Marca, which has ‘raised more questions than answers’.
Jude Bellingham was on England duty during the interational break but didn’t get any minutes
Alvaro Arbeloa and Madrid are reportedly unhappy that Bellingham didn’t get game time with England
But while Madrid may think Bellingham’s inclusion in the England squad was ‘unnecessary’, Tuchel believes it has benefited the player, the club, and the national team.
Prior to England’s loss to Japan, Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I think it’s too much of a risk. So, the tendency is that he [Bellingham] will not play.
‘We have all gained from him being part of it. He was excellent in training, but he was involved as a neutral player. He was involved in not the whole 100 per cent of the training.
‘So, it looked very, very good but we’re still holding him back, to not take a risk. The injury is a muscle, it’s a very particular one, and we absolutely don’t want the re-injury in this moment of the season.
‘And him as well, it was very good that he was in camp. He was excellent. But the tendency is that he won’t play.’
Real Madrid face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in less than seven days’ time, with only a league match against Mallorca preceding the mammoth clash.
Alvaro Arbeloa will be keen to have Bellingham available to start at the Bernabeu against the Bundesliga champions, but his lack of game time with England leaves the Spaniard with a decision to make.
Madrid believe that Tuchel’s decision not to play Bellingham has ‘done little to help’ the midfielder ahead of the crucial game with Bayern.
