Real Madrid angered by Jude Bellingham’s unused England call-up
Real Madrid have expressed frustration with the England national team after Jude Bellingham was called up for international duty but failed to play a single minute.
The Spanish giants are reportedly unhappy that their star midfielder made the journey to London just weeks after recovering from a hamstring issue.
Thomas Tuchel named the 21-year-old in an expanded 35-man squad for recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley.
However, the former Borussia Dortmund man remained an unused substitute as England drew with the South American side before suffering a shock defeat to Japan.
Title race and European ambitions
Bellingham sustained his muscle injury in early February and had only recently returned to first-team action.
He made a brief substitute appearance during Los Blancos’ victory over Atletico Madrid prior to the international break.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently locked in a tense La Liga title race, trailing league leaders Barcelona by four points.
The reigning European champions are also preparing for a crucial Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich.
Club officials reportedly view the midfielder’s week of training and bench duty with the national side as an entirely pointless trip.
Tuchel defends cautious approach
England manager Tuchel admitted that fielding the recently recovered star presented an unacceptable hazard.
The German tactician explained that managing the specific nature of the muscle problem was the coaching staff’s primary priority.
Thomas Tuchel: “I think it’s too much of a risk. So, the tendency is that he will not play.”
“We have all gained from him being part of it. He was excellent in training, but he was involved as a neutral player.”
Tuchel added that the player was kept out of full-contact drills to ensure he did not suffer a setback at a crucial point in the campaign.
“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.”
Despite the manager’s cautious approach, the Madrid hierarchy feel the decision to travel has done little to aid the player’s match fitness.
