England cannot over-rely on Bellingham at Euros, says Southgate

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham brings a lot to the table but England manager Gareth Southgate has said his side won't win anything by relying on one key player for success in the European Championship in Germany.

Bellingham, who last played for England during the international break in March, has had a superb season with his club, winning LaLiga and the Champions League as well as individual awards.

While most of the country deems the 20-year-old to be the player most likely to propel England to its first major trophy since 1966, Southgate has steered clear of holding that expectation.

The 20-year-old was given additional time off after Real's Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund last week and did not feature in England's 1-0 loss against Iceland on Friday in the final Euros warm-up.

“We are not putting everything on Jude,” Southgate told British media after the defeat at Wembley. “We’ve got a lot of good players and it is a collective thing to go and try to win this tournament.

“If we are relying on one person that isn’t going to be a team that wins. I’m sure he will give the squad a lift but it is not his responsibility to do that. It is for all of us to get the focus right, to make sure individually our mentality is right.”

England begin their Euro 2024 campaign on Sunday against Serbia in Group C. The tournament kicks off on Friday with the match between Germany and Scotland.

Reuters