Euro 2024: England boss Southgate excited by Bellingham rise but says collective is key
- The 20-year-old star midfielder enjoyed a dream debut season with Real Madrid, but Southgate says ‘we are not putting everything on Jude’
Gareth Southgate said he is excited to be welcoming world-class Jude Bellingham into the camp but the England boss knows success at this summer’s Euros will need to be a collective effort.
The 20-year-old has been basking in the afterglow of a dream first season in Spain, where he won La Liga with Real Madrid and was named the competition’s best player.
Bellingham won the Bundesliga player of the year award last term and overcame former club Borussia Dortmund two weekends ago as Madrid won a 15th Uefa Champions League title.
The midfielder has enjoyed some time off since that Wembley triumph, which meant he missed all of England’s pre-Euros training camp and both warm-up friendlies.
Bellingham linked up with the squad on Sunday and is expected to start in the Group C opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, but Southgate said he knows it is about more than just his stardust.
“I’m sure he is [capable of handling the pressure] but we are not putting everything on Jude,” the England boss said.