England boss makes Bellingham call
Real Madrid await clarity on their star’s fitness as Japan arrives, with key games looming at club level.
Bellingham will not play against Japan. Thomas Tuchel confirmed to the BBC that the England international will miss Tuesday’s friendly at Wembley, with the coach unwilling to take any risks given the player’s muscle issue. “With a muscle injury, you never really know,” Tuchel explained, making clear he prefers caution with the Real Madrid star.
The midfielder had already been ruled out of England’s previous friendly against Uruguay last week, again as a precaution. This situation presents a double-edged outcome for Real Madrid – on one hand, he returns to the club without added minutes in his legs; on the other, there remains uncertainty over the true extent of the muscle problem that has sidelined him for both international games, something that will only become clear once he is assessed back at Valdebebas.
The next step will be to determine whether the issue is minor enough for him to be included in Arbeloa’s squad for Saturday’s clash against Mallorca. There is also a broader concern about his condition heading into the decisive stretch of the season, with Madrid set to host Bayern Munich next week in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Bellingham had only just returned to action before the international break, playing 16 minutes against Atlético Madrid. Prior to that, he had not featured since early February against Rayo Vallecano, and he also missed the Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester City.
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