'That's life!' - Jude Bellingham leaves brother Jobe confused by Frank Sinatra-inspired Instagram post amid England exile

Bellingham has missed the last two international breaks. He missed the first of those, in September, after undergoing surgery to fix a long-standing shoulder injury. A return to competitive action with Real was made on September 20, with a further four appearances being taken in since then. While the midfielder has returned to action for his club, Bellingham has yet to attain 100 per cent fitness, which prompted Tuchel to overlook the 22-year-old for the October international. The German coach does not want to take any risk on his condition, with the 2026 World Cup fast approaching.  

Explaining his decision to omit Bellingham from the squad, the England boss said: "I understand the focus on Jude, he is a special player and for special players there can always be special rules, I get this. But for this camp we decided that we stick with our straightforward decision to invite the same team. That applies also to Jude. He deserves always to be in camp. I think there is an extra layer on top of it, the situation that he has not gathered fully rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He is back in the team, he hasn’t finished one full match until now, he has only started one match. He is at the moment in the period where he gets his rhythm, where he gets back to full strength. There is this extra layer to the decision. The decision stayed for this camp."

Amid his exile from the national team, Bellingham shared a series of images and videos, with the theme being legendary American musician Frank Sinatra. He shared updates on his life in recent days and wrote in the caption, again inspired by Sinatra's famous track, "That's life". 

The social media post left his brother Jobe confused, as the Borussia Dortmund star wrote in the comment, "Ehhh?"

BILD reported on Monday that Premier League giants Manchester United are closely monitoring Jobe Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund and are potentially plotting a move to bring him back to his homeland. The report adds that Red Devils boss Amorim is an admirer of the midfielder and he believes that Bellingham would nicely fit his complex 3-4-2-1 setup, as his physical strength will be of great use at the centre of the park. However, United are not the only club chasing Bellingham as they are likely to face competition from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, who are also in search of a midfielder. 

After completing a €33 million (£28m/$38m) move from Sunderland to Dortmund, Jobe was expected to have a similar impact at the German club as his sibling; however, so far this season, the midfielder has struggled to solidify a place in Dortmund's starting lineup. He has featured in eight matches across all competitions, accumulating just 281 minutes of action. He has been named in the starting XI only three times - twice in the Bundesliga and once in the Champions League - while failing to register a goal or an assist.

Following the international break, Real Madrid are scheduled to play three matches in October. Action resumes this Sunday with Madrid facing Getafe in La Liga before they host Juventus for a key Champions League fixture. They will then cap off the October cycle with an all-important El Clasico clash at Santiago Bernabeu on October 26. Bellingham will hope to regain his match fitness in the club's next two games so that he can appear in full force for Xabi Alonso's side against arch-rivals Barcelona.