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Real Madrid expresses frustration with Thomas Tuchel over Jude Bellingham's selection for England's recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. They deem the call-up ‘pointless’ as Bellingham has only participated in 15 La Liga matches this season due to significant injuries. After undergoing shoulder surgery, he missed two England camps in late 2025, and Tuchel’s decision comes despite Bellingham just returning from a hamstring issue.
Bellingham made a brief appearance in the derby victory against Atletico Madrid before joining the Three Lions. He trained well but did not feature in either friendly, which ended in a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 loss. Tuchel explained his cautious approach to BBC Radio 5 Live, stating that risking Bellingham would be unwise. He noted that while Bellingham performed excellently in training, he only participated partially and the club aims to avoid re-injury during this critical season.
Marca reports that Real Madrid feels Bellingham’s trip raised more questions than answers. They would have preferred him to gain minutes with England before crucial matches against Mallorca and Bayern Munich. Tuchel’s cautious management might have disappointed Madrid, but risking the player’s health could have led to similar backlash.
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