Thomas Tuchel tips Jude Bellingham to become permanent England captain after Czech Republic victory

Tuchel has backed Bellingham to take on the permanent captaincy in the future. The Madrid midfielder proudly took the armband from Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane during a 2-0 Nations League victory over the Czech Republic.

Bellingham started the match in Prague on the bench following a physically demanding performance in Saturday's defeat to Spain. He was eventually introduced in the 71st minute, taking over on-pitch leadership duties for the closing stages of the crucial European tie.

The second-half substitution showcased the immense trust Tuchel has in the talented midfielder. Asked directly if Bellingham could be the permanent skipper one day, the England boss gave a definitive and encouraging response.

"If you are the captain at the end of these matches, you can for sure be the permanent captain," Tuchel stated, as quoted by The Standard. "Even in this little encounter, you can see he is confident and happy to even help from the bench. So, yeah, it is a reward. It is good."

This was not Bellingham's first time leading the senior side, having previously worn the armband during a World Cup warm-up victory against Costa Rica in June. Tuchel explained that dropping him from the starting XI in Prague was a sensible physical decision rather than a tactical downgrade.

"I think he loves to be with us at the moment, that's what I feel," Tuchel said. "We had this small talk today about his role and we both had our stomachs said 'let's go again, let's start again.' And then both our heads said 'maybe 30 minutes is enough for today' because he hasn't played this quick turnaround through this season.

"He has done it before but not in the season so we didn’t want to be the first ones to try that. But even in this little encounter, you can see he is confident and happy to even help from the bench so yeah, it is a reward. It is good."

Despite his impressive cameo off the bench, Bellingham's immediate fitness has suddenly become a concern for the national side. Tuchel confirmed that the creative midfielder suffered a minor issue late in the game.

England will desperately want their talisman fit and firing for Saturday's crucial away clash in Rijeka. With Spain looking strong to secure a top-two finish in Group A3, Tuchel's squad must battle Croatia to claim the remaining Nations League quarter-final spot.