Gareth Southgate included Bellingham in Euro 2020 squad for the experience and now the midfielder wants a central role
If Jude Bellingham had his own way, there would be no talk about next week being his first start at a major tournament. In the head of the teenager, the platform on the biggest stage should have already happened at the European Championships.
When he was first called up for England, he was so young that staff had to make sure his schoolwork was completed every evening while he was away on international duty. But such is the mentality of the young midfielder, he wanted more. On the pitches of St George’s Park he treated every training session like it was his last.
Having seen Rio Ferdinand go to Euro ’96 purely for the experience of being around a senior squad, Gareth Southgate saw an opportunity for England’s prodigy to get used to the format of tournament football and get his head around being away for a month. Bellingham, however, had different ideas.
“We thought it was a good experience for him, but he wanted more,” he said with a chuckle. “We were thinking for a 17-year-old ‘this is a really good transition’ but his mentality is ‘no no no.’ He wants to start, he wants to take corners, he wants to captain the team, whatever it is,” said Southgate.