Carlo Ancelotti insists Jude Bellingham’s role at Real Madrid will not change following the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and also claimed the England midfielder had a good European Championship.
Mbappe joined Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain this close season and is likely to deployed in a central striking role as Vinicius Jnr already operates in his favoured position on the left-side of the attack.
Bellingham plays more as a number 10 and Ancelotti is confident the former Borussia Dortmund man will be a key man once again for the Champions League winners.
He told BBC Sport: “Nothing changes for him. Nothing changes.
“The first season, he surprised a lot, because he showed fantastic quality, a really mature guy.
“The next season will not be different. He is going to be one of the best players that we have, supporting a lot the team with his quality.”
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England and Bellingham were good at the Euros – Ancelotti
Bellingham had a wonderful first year at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 23 goals in 42 games, but looked increasingly jaded as the season went on.
He was largely anonymous as Madrid beat Dortmund at Wembley to become European champions and only displayed his talent in flashes – most notably with a stunning overhead kick to rescue England from defeat against Slovakia in the round of 16 – in Germany as the Three Lions lost in the final to Spain.
His performances, and those of England, were subjected to heavy criticism but Ancelotti insists both parties impressed him.
He added: “This is an opinion but Bellingham played really well at the Euros.
“England played really well, they reached the final and were close to winning it.”
Ancelotti tells Chelsea owners to be patient
Madrid conclude their pre-season tour of the United States tomorrow night when they take on Chelsea and will hope to register their first win following defeats to Milan and Classico rivals Barcelona.
Ancelotti said of Madrid’s Premier League opponents, now under the stewardship of Enzo Maresca: “They have a good squad, good players, young. They have a young manager.
“They need to be a little bit patient, the owners, to take experience, to grow. But the signings that they have [made] are really good.”
