Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has insisted Jude Bellingham “has to play” for England at next summer’s World Cup.
After seeing a shoulder injury limit his involvement for England earlier this season, Bellingham was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s October squad. The Three Lions boss has denied speculation of a personal issue between himself and Bellingham and plans to speak with the midfielder in the coming days.
In the eyes of Madrid teammate Courtois, Bellingham should be among the first names on the team sheet for England.
“I don’t think we can imagine England without Jude,” the Belgian stopper said. “He should be in the England squad, definitely.
“He has to play. He hasn’t had so many minutes so for England and Real Madrid it is better that he is training and getting that extra physical work. Now we have a couple of tough games and hopefully he will help because he is an amazing player. He is one of our best players.
“I don’t know if Tuchel has called him or not. But I’m sure that even in November he will be back in the England squad. You want a player like Jude in the squad.”
Bellingham Catching the Eye Behind the Scenes
Courtois confessed Bellingham’s recent fitness issues—he underwent shoulder surgery in the summer and his solitary start this season has been widely panned as a rushed mistake—are likely to have impacted his current international standing.
“He has had a long injury of four months so you cannot force them to go too fast,” he continued. “If you do then you can get muscle injuries and have a few weeks out and then if it happens again you can have another few weeks out. You need to have optimum fitness and then it will be O.K.”
To earn his way back into England’s setup for the November break, Bellingham will hope to impress at club level with Madrid. MARCA note he has stood out in training matches against the club’s academy sides in recent days and there is complete confidence in his ability to get back to his best.
Sunday’s trip to Getafe will be Bellingham’s first opportunity to catch Tuchel’s eye, but the midfielder may see his minutes limited so as to protect him for a grueling run of games against Juventus and Barcelona in the days that follow.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid Teammate Offers Strong Support Over England Snub.