Gareth Southgate backs Jude Bellingham to deal with the expectation placed on him
Gareth Southgate has spoken on the expectation surrounding Jude Bellingham saying “he’s coped so well at a young age” as England prepare to get their Euro 2024 campaign underway.
The Three Lions arrived in Germany on Monday and have spent the past week preparing for their opening game against Serbia on Sunday night.
England no doubt boast one of the best squads in the tournament, but Southgate and the squad will know that talent alone isn’t enough as they aim to go one step better than Euro 2020 and get their hands on the trophy.
Southgate: Bellingham has coped so well at a young age
Central to England’s hopes is likely to be Real Madrid star Bellingham who comes into the tournament having shone in his debut season in the Spanish capital.
The 20-year-old played a key role as Madrid won a La Liga and Champions League double, and if England are to have success in Germany the midfielder will likely have a big part to play.
A lot of expectation has been put on Bellingham in the build up to Euro 2024, and speaking in his pre match press conference ahead of the Serbia game Southgate said the Madrid man has a “fantastic mindset and the ability to adapt.”
“From my perspective, he’s a young player and one of a number of very important players in the team at Real Madrid,” he told reporters.
“In this team, that load is spread, he has a fantastic mindset and the ability to adapt.
“He has coped so well at a young age, he’s come into our squad and moved to the biggest club in the world.
“We have a responsibility as a team for all of our players, it’s great to have the talented players that we have but the onus is on everyone to do their part.”
Bellingham is likely to play in the number ten role that he played in for the majority of last season with Madrid, but Southgate does have the option to play him deeper alongside Declan Rice if he wishes to play Phil Foden centrally.
England would end their 58-year wait for a trophy if they were to be successful in Germany, and it certainly feels well overdue.
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