Jude Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel will not have fallen out after England’s win over Norway because they are both ‘psychotic winners’ who are ‘laser-focused’ on winning the World Cup, a camp insider has said.
The source insisted the pair would always ‘pull together’ ahead of tonight’s semi-final against Argentina despite a number of high-profile disagreements.
Bellingham publicly dismissed Tuchel’s criticism after the England boss described his side as ‘lucky’ to beat Norway, while concerns over tensions between the two date back to last year when Tuchel said his mother found some of the midfielder’s on-field behaviour ‘repulsive’.
But dismissing any suggestion of a falling out between England’s star player and manager, the senior insider, who has worked with the national team for more than a decade, said the pair are in fact a perfect match.
‘Jude Bellingham and Thomas Tuchel are both psychotic winners. They are very similar,’ the source said.
‘He [Jude] has just turned 23. He is a footballing phenomenon. He doesn’t care about being liked and, crucially, has the same view as the manager. It’s all about winning.’
Bellingham has repeatedly said during the tournament that he loves his country and wants to unite England behind the team.
But he also wants to become the biggest football star on the planet, eclipsing team-mate Kylian Mbappe, and sees the World Cup as the stage on which to do it, the Mail’s insider said.
Jude Bellingham claimed Tuchel ‘doesn’t know what it’s like’ to play in big games in the wake of the Three Lions’ win 2-1 win over Norway
Thomas Tuchel, though, says he and Bellingham are on the same page and that he spoke to his squad at their Kansas City base on Sunday to clear the air
A public difference of opinion emerged after England knocked out Norway.
Tuchel said his side had been ‘lucky’ and admitted he was ‘not happy’ with the performance.
Bellingham hit back by saying: ‘Maybe he doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions.’
Minutes earlier, in a separate pitchside interview, he had been equally dismissive of his manager’s comments, saying: ‘Yeah, well, whatever.’
But after Bellingham’s comments were interpreted by some as a reference to the German’s lower-league playing career, Tuchel said: ‘I had a mediocre career, at best. But I don’t think that you have to play (to be a manager). A funny quote, you don’t have to be a horse to be a good jockey!’
Tuchel, though, says he and Bellingham are on the same page and that he spoke to his squad at their Kansas City base on Sunday to clear up his words.
‘I think our comments come from the same place from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on,’ he said.
‘He was just confronted with the negative side. I called him a world-class player. I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match. I said the mentality is outstanding of this team.’
Less than a year ago, Bellingham was labelled ‘petulant’ after reacting angrily to being substituted during England’s final World Cup qualifying victory over Albania.
Tuchel later said he would review the midfielder’s reaction and stressed that ‘behaviour is key’, having already described some of his on-field antics as ‘repulsive’, controversially claiming his own mother would be upset by them.
‘Thomas and Jude know he will shine because he wants to be the next global superstar,’ the Mail’s source said.
‘They were always going to pull together because they both want to win the World Cup. It is that simple.’
Another sticking point has been Jude’s father.
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mark has quietly deleted his Twitter account after using the platform to defend both Jude and his younger son Jobe.
He is Jude’s biggest supporter and would never want to become a ‘distraction’ to his son’s career, the Mail’s England source said.
