Jude Bellingham possesses an “elite mentality” and will secure his spot back in the England squad. That’s according to Jordan Henderson, who has become Bellingham’s closest confidant within the England camp after the pair developed a strong friendship. Three Lions manager Thomas Tuchel sent shockwaves through the football world by omitting Real Madrid sensation Bellingham from the squad for the fixtures against Wales and Latvia.
However, Henderson says that Bellingham elevates England’s performance and dismissed any suggestions that the 22-year-old possesses an inflated ego, describing him as a “world-class person.” The England veteran declared: “What Jude has achieved in his career so far, at such a young age, doesn’t just happen. He has got an elite mentality.
“Like I said, when he was just first coming into the squad, he was mature mentally beyond his years – which is why he has performed at the highest level for a long time now, and still does. So, for him, he will just keep working hard.
“He has been coming back from a long injury in his shoulder that has been niggling him for quite some time now. For him, I think it just about getting back to full fitness, making sure that his shoulder is fully recovered, that he gets minutes on the pitch, that he gets a rhythm.
“I am sure he will take this time over the next week or so over the international period to make sure fitness wise, he is raring to go afterwards. We are talking about a world-class player, here.
“He is very special, he is very special. We have a few special players in this squad, to be fair. But, with Jude, I think we all knew he was a very special player when he first came into the squad.
“The way he trains, the way he lives his life around football, loves the game, wants to improve and there is the ability that he has on the pitch. He is a world-class player and I know there will be a lot of stories and a lot of headlines, but for him, it is just about focusing on football.
“He has been injured for a good few months. I know what he is like, he will be focused on his football, focused on making sure that he is as fit as possible, so when he returns he is flying over the next few weeks.”
Tuchel sparked controversy when he commented on Bellingham’s on-pitch behaviour earlier this year, stating that even his own mother found some of the England star’s actions “repulsive.”
Following last month’s 5-0 victory in Serbia – a match Bellingham did not play in – Tuchel remarked that it was positive because there was “no attitude after a mistake, there was no frustration, there was no waving, there was no eyeballing, there was no bad words.”
It remains unclear whether these comments were directed at Bellingham. However, Henderson staunchly defended his international team-mate, insisting that the public perception of him is misguided. He added: “For players, the perception outside…they don’t know. Do you know what I mean? They are guessing. They are making things up, ultimately.
“From the outside, you can never listen to noise or media or things like that, because a lot of the time it can be untrue or it can be misinterpreted – but the players know what Jude is like as a person and as a player.
“He is a world-class player and a world-class person, and he makes the England team. when he plays, even better because of the type of player that he is.”