Gareth Southgate says he is ‘not concerned’ about Jude Bellingham’s fitness ahead of England’s Euro 2024 last 16 clash against Slovakia.
It comes after the Three Lions hero said he felt ‘absolutely dead’ following their final group game against Slovenia.
After an underwhelming group stage, England must recapture their best form as the knockouts begin, with the match against Slovakia kicking off at 5pm on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen.
One player looking for an upturn in performance is Bellingham, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday.
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The Real Madrid superstar scored England’s opening goal of the tournament and put in a player of the match display in the win over Serbia, but was anonymous in the draws with Denmark and Slovenia.
The midfielder’s worrying comments about struggling for energy following the goalless draw last Tuesday, have led for some to even suggest benching Bellingham against Slovakia.
But in his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Southgate allayed fears one of the nation’s star players was too tired to perform at his highest level.
‘When you are walking off the pitch and have given everything you feel in a certain way, physically and emotionally,’ the manager said when asked about Bellingham’s comments.
‘Jude missed a period at the end of the season with an ankle injury so he will have benefitted from the matches he has had.
‘Of course we have to be mindful of the quality we have to come into the game, freshness might make a difference in the latest stages of matches. But I am not concerned about Jude Bellingham’s condition.
‘Today is a big day for him and a reminder of how well he deals with the expectation around him at a remarkably young age. There are few players who have had to live in that world, his world is different to most 21 year olds.’
Southgate is only expected to make one change to his starting XI, with Kobbie Mainoo set to take Conor Gallagher’s place in midfield after doing so at half-time of the Slovenia draw.
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