Gareth Southgate has suggested that Jude Bellingham could make his England debut against the Republic of Ireland on Thursday night.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder, 17, was handed his first senior Three Lions call-up earlier this week after Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse both withdrew from the squad through injury.
Bellingham has previously represented England at several younger age groups up to Under-21 level, with the teenager only making four appearances for Aidy Boothroyd’s side before being elevated to the senior squad after impressing in the Bundesliga following a high-profile move from Championship side Birmingham City over the summer.
And Southgate believes that handing Bellingham his debut at Wembley will be a huge bonus in a great week for the player, with it to be decided after Thursday’s friendly if he will stay with the squad for the upcoming Nations League double-header against Belgium and Iceland.
“The bigger picture here is that, at times, we select older players to come in to challenge directly for competition for places,” Southgate said at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
"In this instance, we’re giving a young player an opportunity to work with us, to spend some time with us, invest some time with him, he’ll have a brilliant experience for a few days.
“If we can get him on the pitch and he gets some match minutes as well, that’ll be a bonus. But we think it’s part of what we’ve done over a long period of time in developing young players. So, that’s the approach we’ve taken to this England squad and we think it’s served us well. We think it’s helped give young players experience that will benefit England in the long-term."
He added: "It’s not a decision that he’s a better player than one or two older players who I’ve seen mentioned, although those players don’t play in the position that he plays. And that’s a fact. People will have a view of what a midfield player is but there are very specific roles within midfield positions.
“But the bigger picture here is a great opportunity to bring another young player with us that is going to benefit England for the long-term. Whether he stays with us for the full week, we’ll decide after the game.”
