England’s saviour? Why Three Lions aren’t ‘relying’ on Jude Bellingham as Gareth Southgate sends Euro 2024 winners warning after disappointing displays without Real Madrid superstar

After England suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Iceland in their final Euro 2024 warm-up match, Southgate has insisted that while Bellingham will lift the team, it is not his responsibility to solely carry the nation's hopes. The 20-year-old did not feature at Wembley on Friday as he continued to recover from Real Madrid's Champions League final win at the same venue six days earlier.

Following the reverse to Iceland, Southgate said: "We are not putting everything on Jude. We've got a lot of good players and it is a collective thing to go and try to win this tournament. If we are relying on one person that isn't going to be a team that wins. Jude is, of course, a player with a fabulous mentality - and he will have a big impact on the whole group.

"I'm sure Jude will give the squad a lift but it is not his responsibility to do that. It is for all of us to get the focus right, to make sure individually our mentality is right - and as a coaching team we will make sure we are working on the areas that need to be better than they were against Iceland."

After a season that saw him score 23 goals and take home La Liga and Champions League winners' medals, plus the La Liga Player of the Season award, it's only natural that fans are pinning their hopes on the 20-year-old this summer.

The former Birmingham City starlet has been a regular in the England first-team for more than two years and will view this summer's Euro 2024 tournament in Germany as an opportunity to announce his arrival on the international stage.

Southgate and England will undergo their final Euro 2024 preparations this week ahead of next Sunday night's Group C opener against Serbia. Bellingham will now link up with the Three Lions squad as they look to put a disappointing run of just one win from their last five games behind them.