Jude Bellingham’s attitude is key to England World Cup hopes – we’re lucky to have him

Morgan Rogers has insisted that England are lucky to have the calibre of Jude Bellingham ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, the Three Lions star also dismissed any media claims of players ‘plotting against each other’ in the squad.

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The World Cup is just six months away and England will arrive in the United States for their group matches as a tournament favourite.

Thomas Tuchel will already be thinking about the 26-man squad of stars he wants to take with him for their campaign next summer.

One of those in contention for selection is Bellingham, who has long been a regular starter for England at the World Cup and Euros.

His attitude recently came under the spotlight though, following his reaction to being substituted in their qualifying win against Albania.

Bellingham appeared unhappy with the decision and some sections of the media were said to have made ‘a story out of nothing’.

But when Rogers was speaking to talkSPORT at the brand new PUMA Flagship store in London, he stressed the importance of his co-star.

Bell of a player

“Well, I’ve known him pretty much all my life and I know exactly what he’s like,” he said on the Real Madrid midfielder.

“He’s just got a passion and a drive, and a desire to win and to be the best player, and that’s why he’s doing so well.

“That’s why he is where he is… It’s his mentality, it’s his attitude, it’s all those things above, he just wants to win and shine, and do well on the biggest stages.

“He’s already done so much in his career and he wants to do more, he wants to be the guy to lift the World Cup for England and to score winning goals, and to take games away from opposition teams.

talkSPORT

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“He’s there for a reason, and that’s all it is. He’s a great person to be around, he’s an unbelievable player.

“And we should be lucky that we have a player like that on our side competing for England as a nation, because he’s world-class.”

Rogers on England No. 10 competition

One of the biggest talking points ahead of the 2026 World Cup will be who Tuchel selects as his options at No. 10.

The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager is blessed with some of the best such talent in European football.

Bellingham will come into consideration alongside Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze.

Rogers could be on the plane as he continues to star at Aston Villa, for whom he has three goals and five assists so far this season.

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The 23-year-old is aware of the strong competition he faces and says he will give his all for England no matter who he plays with.

Rogers explained: “I think the best teams to ever win tournaments, to go far in tournaments, they have a squad, they don’t have a team.

“Of course, everyone wants the shirt, everyone wants to play, everyone wants to be the man and wants to contribute, of course we do.

“We’re all human, we’re all footballers, we all want to shine and impress, but it might be different people for different days, different occasions, different styles of play, there’s a whole load of things that go into it.

“It’s just about each other, as an individual, making sure we’re at the best of our ability, the peak of our powers and ready to go, and when we put on that shirt, we give it our all and give it our best, and I’m no different.

“Whether they’re my friends, whether I don’t know them that well, I don’t think it makes a difference.

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“We’re there as a team, we’re on the same side, we’re not plotting against each other, it’s never been about that. I think that’s more of a media thing, a perception that they like to have, a debate.

“It’s not something that we focus on, we’re on the same team and we want the best for each other, and it’s no different.”

When do England play at the World Cup?

The group stage draw was conducted on Friday evening, and England were placed into Group L.

Croatia are their first opponents of the tournament on June 17 at the Dallas Stadium.

Up next are Ghana at the Boston Stadium on June 23, before a clash against Panama at the New York New Jersey Stadium four days later.

Should England finish top of Group L, they will play in Atlanta against a third-placed team from Group E/H/I/J/K on July 1.