Gary Neville has entered the debate over England's number 10 position, making it clear that Jude Bellingham should start ahead of Morgan Rogers at the World Cup. The former Manchester United defender praised Rogers but insisted Bellingham is a 'star' who cannot be benched.
The battle for England's number 10 role
The competition between Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham has dominated pre-World Cup discussions. Rogers impressed during qualifying and helped Villa end a 30-year trophy drought this season. However, Bellingham, 22, has been a key figure for England and won multiple titles with Real Madrid, including the Champions League.
Tuchel's stance on Bellingham
England manager Thomas Tuchel handed Bellingham the captain's armband during a warm-up friendly against New Zealand, but later said it was because he had the most caps among those on the field. Tuchel described Bellingham as one of 14 or 15 potential starters but stopped short of confirming him ahead of Rogers.
“He is one of the starters but there are 14, 15 potential starters,” Tuchel said. “And then there’s a special group and then there is a leadership group and then there are guys who finish matches for us and get the energy right and have more of a role of setting the standards and accepting their roles for challenging. And these roles can always change but in my head there are 15, 14 proper starters and Jude is one of them.”
Neville's verdict
Neville, speaking to The Telegraph, was unequivocal: “I love Morgan Rogers – love him. But, let’s be clear, Jude Bellingham is not a sub. He’s not a sub, he’s a star. That’s it. He’s a star.”
Bellingham has earned 47 caps for England before his 23rd birthday and is widely regarded as one of the team's most influential players. With the World Cup opener against Croatia approaching, the decision on who starts in the number 10 role remains a key talking point.
