Thomas Tuchel to sit Jude Bellingham against Japan in England’s final match before World Cup

On Tuesday, England have their final tune up before the World Cup this summer. It will be Thomas Tuchel’s final look at his guys before selecting a final squad to take to North America in June.

Jude to rest against Japan

Jude Bellingham will not be available for the match against Japan on Tuesday night as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. “It’s too much of a risk,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. “So, the tendency is that he will not play.

Bellingham injured his hamstring at the beginning of February in a match at the Bernabeau against Rayo Vallecano. He was forced to miss ten matches including the two Champions League ties against Benfica and Manchester City. The former Dortmund midfielder did return to action in the Madrid derby before the international break, and is being rested in hopes that he makes a full recovery before for the rest of the season and the World Cup.

While he didn’t play against Uruguay and will not play against Japan, he did participate in training and Tuchel sung is praises for the attitude and quality, although he was just playing as a neutral player. “We have all gained from him being part of it. He was excellent in training, but he was involved as a neutral player. He was involved in not the whole 100 per cent of the training,” said Tuchel.

Tuchel and Jude on the mend?

Bellingham and Tuchel have a bit of a history, but this seems to be more of a precautionary issue than a rift between the two. There have been squad omissions and substitutions that have created a bit of tension between the two, but both player and coach seem to be on the same page in the months leading up to the World Cup.

“It looked very good but we’re still holding him back, to not take a risk. The injury is a muscle, it’s a very particular one, and we absolutely don’t want the re-injury in this moment of the season,” concluded the England manager.

Real Madrid may breathe a sigh of relief with the news that Jude will be returning for duty as the final stretch of the season approaches. Bellingham is looking to find the form he started his Real Madrid era in, but injuries have prevented him from replicating the 23 goals and 11 assists from his first season. This year he has scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 27 appearances.

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