Bellingham was left out in October after injury return
March is the only other England camp before World Cup
Thomas Tuchel has decided to give Jude Bellingham an England recall on Friday for the World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, the Guardian understands. The head coach sparked a major sideshow in October when he did not select Bellingham for the friendly with Wales and the qualifier against Latvia.
Bellingham was not in prime physical condition having returned to the Real Madrid squad after shoulder surgery only a couple of weeks before Tuchel’s announcement. It was nonetheless a bombshell call given Bellingham’s ability and status, with Tuchel doubling down on it when he said he might have excluded him even if he had been 100% fit.
Tuchel wanted to reward the players who ignited his tenure in September with the win over Serbia in Belgrade – plus the home victory over Andorra – when Bellingham was unavailable. He named the same initial squad, the injuries to Tino Livramento and Noni Madueke not withstanding, and the themes were faith and continuity; an attempt to build spirit and momentum. Inevitably, though, the move was interpreted as a slight on Bellingham, who had wanted and perhaps expected to be included.
