Jude Bellingham is set to drop out of the England squad amid increasing fears that he will require knee surgery before the start of the new season.
The 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund star missed the final two games of the Bundesliga season after spending several months with strapping around his knee, and could only watch on as his side threw away their best opportunity in a decade to win the German crown, drawing 2-2 with Mainz in front of their home fans to send the title back to Bavaria and Bayern Munich.
Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic revealed that it was decision taken out of his hands. ‘He didn’t feel well before the game. He told us he didn’t feel ready to start and if we needed him, we could put him on for a couple of minutes. He was very sad and emotional but I’m quite sure he’s a winner.
‘He’ll win so many trophies in his career and, for that, he needs to stay fit and healthy and recover as quickly as possible.’
Named Bundesliga player of the year, Bellingham was also called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the June internationals, where the Three Lions face Malta and North Macedonia in two Euro2024 qualifiers.
Here we go.
Your #ThreeLions squad for June! 🏴
— England (@England) May 24, 2023
However, the Daily Mail claim that the teenager will be forced to withdraw from the squad thanks to the latest setback, and they add that there are ‘fears growing he may need surgery to cure a knee issue.’
Should Real Madrid be worried?
Not even 20-years-old until the end of June, Bellingham has racked up over 13,000 minutes of professional action, including nearly 3000 as a 16-year-old for Birmingham City.
It is a similar number to Bukayo Saka, another prodigious talent, while it is fewer than Vinicius Jr, who he will be joining at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Playing a more box-to-box role than either of those above, Bellingham may need to be eased back into proceedings, but despite needing knee surgery there is little to be overly concerned about in the longer term.
