Gareth Southgate has revealed that England midfielder Jude Bellingham has been upset since his red card for Real Madrid. The English coach added that the squad are ‘super happy’ to have him with them for the matches against Brazil and Belgium.
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash against Brazil, Southgate stated that Bellingham was still upset with the sending-off by Jessu Gil Manzano for dissent, as the midfielder was furious about the referee blowing the whistle seconds before he scored in the 99th minute.
Southgate said:
“We are super happy to have him, but he is still 20 years old. The success of our team will depend on the entire team. The last few weeks have been a bit difficult for him, with the injuries and the red card, so he is a bit upset.”
Jude Bellingham has been in top form since moving to Real Madrid and has been a key figure for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. He has scored 20 goals and assisted nine times in 31 matches.
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Gareth Southgate praises Jude Bellingham’s mentality
Gareth Southgate lavished praise on Jude Bellingham after the Real Madrid star helped England qualify for EURO 2024. The manager said:
“His mentality is incredible. For someone of his age to show such maturity and intelligence is unbelievable. We are lucky to have him. He’s been the catalyst – the way he carries himself and plays on the field shows that and he’s had that since he walked through the door.”
In a previous interview, Southgate said:
“I think with some of the great players that play with a mentality he has, I’m thinking [Steven] Gerrard, [Patrick] Vieira and Keane, they compete. They don’t like losing, they love winning. They haul the team up by its boots at those moments and they are often on that line. That is often where he is, so the thing that gives him his greatest strength is something he has to make sure he is on the right side of. He has normally been able to stay controlled in those moments if he’s had a yellow card.”
He added:
“This is the first time with the sending-off the other day that I can remember him stepping over that. He is a bright boy, he will learn from that. He is super intelligent and really receptive to learning and taking things in. He’s had an incredible season at historically the biggest club in the world. Everyone can argue if that is still the case but we’re very happy to have him. We love that edge that he has but clearly, he has to get that right.”
The midfielder has scored twice in 27 matches for the senior team. He is expected to make the EURO 2024 squad unless he picks up an injury.