Real Madrid have reportedly been left furious after Jude Bellingham took part in England duty without playing a single minute. Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel made the decision as a precaution with Bellingham only recently returning from a muscle injury, but Spanish paper Marca claim that Los Blancos now consider the trip unnecessary.
It is said that Real have been left unhappy after hoping that the 22-year-old may pick up some vital minutes in friendlies against Uruguay and Japan as he looks to regain match sharpness. Instead, Real now reportedly view the trip as an unnecessary effort ahead of their crucial Champions League quarter-final first leg clash against Bayern Munich next week.
The former Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund player returned to action in Real’s fixture before the international break against Atletico Madrid – coming on as a substitute with around 15 minutes remaining. That appearance was his first since a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on February 1.
Bellingham will now have one more opportunity to gain some much-needed minutes before the Bayern game when Real travel to Mallorca on Saturday afternoon.
And while Real may be furious at Tuchel’s decision not to play their star midfielder, the German explained to BBC Radio 5 Live that it was to avoid further injury to Bellingham.
He said: “I think it’s too much of a risk. So, the tendency is that he [Bellingham] 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. He was involved in not the whole 100 per cent of the training.
“So, it looked very, 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.
“And him as well, it was very good that he was in camp. He was excellent. But the tendency is that he won’t play.”
Bellingham is set to play a huge role for both club and country over the next few months as Real chase a La Liga and Champions League double before England seek a first World Cup since 1966 this summer.
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