On the back of a remarkable debut season at Real Madrid, Bellingham scored the only goal of the game as England got their Euro 2024 campaign off the ground with victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen last weekend.
The 20-year-old’s all-action performance was one of the few shining lights from an otherwise uninspiring showing from the Three Lions, though Southgate’s men were understandably pleased to emerge from the contest with all three points.
This evening, Bellingham will look to continue his promising start to the tournament when England do battle with Denmark in their second Group C clash, a repeat of the sides’ semi-final three years ago at Wembley.
Victory in Frankfurt would see England secure their place in the knockout phase of the European Championships and Southgate was full of praise as he reflected on Bellingham’s opening display.
Asked which quality has enabled Bellingham’s incredible rise, the England boss told ITV: ‘Mentality.
‘He’s comfortable embracing the pressure of needing to deliver on the big stage and thrives on it.
‘There’s still room for improvement.
‘I think he got through 90 minutes work in 45 so that’s still experience to come.
‘But the ability to impact games in the manner that he did, that’s a phenomenal attribute.’
While on punditry duty for ITV Sport, ex-England international Aluko waxed lyrical about Bellingham’s performance which inspired the Three Lions to victory over Serbia.
But the former Lionesses star questioned Southgate’s assessment of Bellingham display, arguing that the youngster’s determination to be the ‘main character’ and put his body through the wringer should always be deemed a positive.
Asked if she agreed with Southgate’s suggestion that Bellingham needs to pace himself, Aluko told host Laura Woods: ‘Do you know what? I’m not sure about that.
‘I think as a 20-year-old, main character of this amazing cast, he’s full of beans and we’ve got a European Championship to try and win so I don’t mind Jude Bellingham leaving it all out there.
‘We talk a lot about his goals, we talk a lot about his attacking play. This guy had the most tackles and interceptions of any England player. More than Declan Rice, more than Trent [Alexander-Arnold].
‘That just shows the level of his game. Roy Keane talks about it a lot: midfielders, yeah, we can talk defensive, attacking. You’ve got to be able to do it all and I think Jude did that in the first game and hopefully he can do that today.
‘If he can do that today then maybe he will have a rest if England win.’
Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand heaped praise on Bellingham and labelled the midfielder a ‘unique’ talent as he spoke the media ahead his side’s high-stakes clash with England.
‘What a fantastic season. I don’t think many people predicted that Jude Bellingham would score so many goals,’ Hjulmand told reporters at his pre-match press conference.
‘It is unique how he has entered Real Madrid, the way he arrives late in the field and uses his offensive qualities.
‘To see a player shine like that for the Champions League winners… It’s just a fantastic first season and he’s 20.
‘The way he acts on the field and the character he has as a person.
‘He is a fantastic player and he will be really, really good when he is 23.;
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