England manager Thomas Tuchel has issued a public apology after describing Jude Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive”, admitting his choice of words was “unintentional” and poorly timed.
Thomas Tuchel made the remark back in June following England’s 3-1 friendly defeat to Senegal, his first loss in charge.
While praising the Real Madrid midfielder’s “fire” and competitive edge, Tuchel admitted his own mother sometimes viewed the 21-year-old’s behaviour on the pitch as “repulsive” when watching from home.
“I used this word unintentionally, just to make it very clear,” Tuchel said. “There was no message. There was no hidden agenda. I fully understood and understand that it’s my responsibility to create these headlines. I am sorry for the upset and I am sorry for the headlines I created.”
Tuchel added that he had already reached out to Bellingham, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and will miss September’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
“I am experienced enough and should’ve known better. I thought I had a little more credit with you guys that I do all this in my second language,” the 52-year-old German tactician explained. “It was the morning after a loss, with not a lot of sleep, and I used the wrong word. Again, it’s my responsibility.”
Meanwhile, the latest England squad has sparked fresh debate after Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was left out.
The 26-year-old, who joined the Spanish giants this summer, featured in Tuchel’s previous squad but has now been dropped for the September qualifiers.
Instead, there are first-time call-ups for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson and Tottenham full-back Djed Spence, while Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, Adam Wharton and Jarrod Bowen have been recalled.
Veteran Jordan Henderson, 35, retains his place, but there is no room for Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, Ivan Toney or Trevoh Chalobah. Injuries have also ruled out Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Bellingham himself.
Tuchel has opted for a tighter 24-man squad, saying he wants to increase competition for places.
“The competition is on,” he stressed. “I don’t like the phone calls telling players they are not included, but I kind of like them because it shows we have players pushing and fighting for a place. That’s exactly what we want.”
England face Andorra at Villa Park on 6 September before travelling to Belgrade to take on Serbia three days later. The Three Lions sit top of Group K with three wins from three games.
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