Jude Bellingham said every player in the England squad must “feel loved” at this year’s World Cup and admitted things were “a little bit wrong off the pitch” at the European Championship in 2024.Despite reaching the final in Germany, England were subjected to criticism for their performances which were perceived to be conservative, and Bellingham spoke last year about feeling “mistreated in comparison to what I contributed“.Speaking on Lions’ Den, the Real Madrid midfielder, who previously said he felt like a bit of a scapegoat for his side’s failure to win the Euros two years ago, said the England squad were “not quite connected” at the Euros. The 22-year-old also added that he felt expectation was a contributing factor after reaching the Euro final in 2021 and the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar the following year.“At the Euros we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch,” Bellingham said. “I don’t feel like the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons. Expectation was part of it – we had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it.“We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn’t get the feeling you were as happy as you should be.“There has to be that element of relentless and wanting to win but it is the nature of football that wins go out of the system quickly and we should hold on to that moment a little more.”Gareth Southgate stepped down as England’s head coach following the Euros, with Thomas Tuchel replacing him and taking charge of his first major tournament this summer.The former Chelsea coach omitted several high-profile players, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, from his final World Cup squad, citing the importance of team qualities rather than their individual credentials.And Bellingham said every player in Tuchel’s squad must feel empowered to “enjoy” the summer tournament.He said: “I think this time round having those experiences… and knowing, for example, that the guy who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final isn’t always the one you’d bet your house on so you’ve always got to be ready, everyone’s got to feel loved and feel a huge part of the team.”England are looking to win their first major trophy since 1966 and begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Group L on Wednesday.