Drop Jude Bellingham! England told who to pick in No.10 role at 2026 World Cup as Premier League star has ‘more of an influence’ than Real Madrid ‘Galactico’

Questions have been asked of Bellingham’s role in the Three Lions set-up since he missed a couple of international camps on the back of long-awaited shoulder surgery. He was recalled in November as England completed a faultless qualification campaign for another major tournament.

Tuchel has, however, admitted in the past that his mother finds some of the 22-year-old’s on-field behaviour “repulsive”. The German tactician has since apologised for those comments, but faced more quizzing on Bellingham’s character following his reaction to being substituted in a clash with Albania.

Rogers replaced Bellingham in that contest and has been catching the eye at club level with Premier League high-fliers Villa. He has five goals and as many assists to his name this season, while Bellingham has recorded four efforts in each of those departments for Real.

Ex-England defender Phil Jones has told Sports Illustrated FC of why Rogers deserves to be selected ahead of a ‘Galactico’ from Santiago Bernabeu: “He would be my number 10 in the World Cup. I know it’s an unpopular decision, and I know he probably won’t because Jude Bellingham is at Real Madrid. Hopefully that doesn’t influence it, but I’m doubling down on it.

“I think [Rogers] has been the player who I’ve enjoyed watching the most over the last six months. I’ve really, really enjoyed his performance. I love the way he plays, I love his character, I love the way he handles himself on the pitch.

“He’s powerful, he’s quick, he’s strong, he scores goals left foot, right foot. I think he’s more powerful than Bellingham. I think at the minute he’s scoring more goals than Jude Bellingham. He’s having more of an influence on the game than Jude Bellingham.

“Listen, I love Jude Bellingham. I’d give my right arm to have been the player he is, so I’m not disputing that. But I just love the way [Rogers] is playing at the minute. If he carries on playing the way he’s playing and, touch wood, he doesn’t get injured, I can’t understand how he wouldn’t start for England in the World Cup. I can’t understand it.”

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Tuchel has said in a warning to anybody that believes reputation will be enough to earn them a seat on the plane to the United States, Canada and Mexico: “We are not collecting the most talented players, we are trying to build a team. Teams win trophies, no-one else.

“That’s how it is in international football. But the thing you are playing [back to me] is not what I am saying. You are playing the game that says: ‘He [Tuchel] is saying the others who aren’t in the team, you cannot build a team with them’. It’s not like this. We built a team with the players who were available and they did so well so we go again with them. Nobody said we can’t do the same with them. Or even better, or maybe the same level, with the others.

“For this moment we stick with our choice and the radical statement is that we don’t collect the most talented players. We collect the guys who have the glue and cohesion to be the best team. Because we need to arrive as the best team. We will arrive as underdogs at the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time. So we have to arrive as a team or we will have no chance.”

England’s men’s national team will be looking to bring 60 years of pain on the trophy-chasing front to a close in 2026. They are set to face Croatia, Ghana and Panama at the World Cup group stage, with Bellingham hoping that he will be given the chance to figure prominently across those fixtures.