Jobe Bellingham has earned his first call-up to England's senior squad. Thomas Tuchel has rewarded the Englishman's clear improvement in form at Borussia Dortmund.
At Dortmund, Bellingham has made himself indispensable in midfield since the start of the season. He has recently been in outstanding form alongside Joey Veerman, while Felix Nmecha, for example, has struggled.
Bellingham delivered his best performance yet in a Dortmund shirt during the recent top-of-the-table clash with Bayern Munich. He was hugely active and threatened going forward several times (SPOX rating: 2).
"He's really at a top level physically. And you can see that," sporting director Ole Book said afterwards. "He can fully keep up, he can work his way into games. And he still has the energy to play cleanly, even when the game goes on a bit longer." "All players at this level can do that in the first few passages of play. But he can run a lot throughout the whole game and still play clean football," the 40-year-old added. Book called Bellingham a player "for the big stage" and said the youngster had proved it against Bayern Munich.
Tuchel maintains tough approach with England stars
The reward for Bellingham's clear improvement compared with his first season in Dortmund is a maiden senior England call-up. He will join the Three Lions alongside his brother Jude, having previously played only for the Under-21s.
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"He gets the chance to join us and make an impression in the first team. He has now played a lot of games and is in good form at Dortmund. That's why he deserves to be with us. It's a great story that both brothers have been called up," Tuchel said, explaining the 21-year-old's selection for the Nations League matches against Croatia (12 November) and world champions Spain (15 November).
Alongside Bellingham's call-up, Tuchel has maintained his tough approach to high-profile names. Manchester City's Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are again absent from his squad. Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose omission from the World Cup was hotly debated in England, returns.
Bayern Munich star Kane leads the squad and is on the verge of a notable record. Kane has 125 international appearances, level with former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and is likely to become the outright record holder in November. "What he achieves is incredible," Tuchel said of Kane: "He deservedly wins the Ballon d'Or, and in his next international match for England he will become the record appearance holder with 126 caps. That shows his professional approach and his attitude."
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