"What is the reason for that?" - Wayne Rooney warns Gareth Southgate about England's 'frustrated' Euro 2024 star
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has issued a warning to England boss Gareth Southgate over Jude Bellingham's frustrations at Euro 2024. The Real Madrid superstar has struggled to replicate his club form for his nation so far, leaving Rooney worried that he may pick up a red card in the knockout stages.
Bellingham had a standout season for Real Madrid, putting him in contention to compete for the 2024 Ballon d'Or. The 20-year-old garnered 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, guiding Los Blancos to three trophies, including the La Liga title and UEFA Champions League.
Bellingham was expected to play a key role in England's journey at Euro 2024. While he scored a header in the Three Lions' opening game in their 1-0 win against Serbia, he has failed to make any sort of impact in their following group-stage games against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0).
The England international was left visibly frustrated against Slovenia leading Rooney to tell BBC (via METRO):
"Jude starts the first game well but I’m sure he’d tell you himself he hasn’t the best games in the last two games. For me he’s looked very frustrated, I’ve been there exactly the position he’s in, even the game yesterday, you saw him throwing his arms up in the air.
"As a talisman for England and Real Madrid, I haven’t heard him in speak. What is the reason for that? As one of the iconic players now for England in the squad, he should be fronting that."
He added:
"That tells me that he’s probably not quite right in the tournament. He’s giving it his all, 100 per cent, I don’t think that’s the problem. You want players demanding more from their teammates, and I think that’s what he was trying to do.
"So, it’s not a criticism, it is a compliment in some ways but you just don’t want that to boil over to the point where he might pick up a silly red card."
Fortunately, Southgate has recently addressed this, claiming he would speak privately with Bellingham before their Round-of-16 clash against Slovakia (June 30).
How did Jude Bellingham fare in England's 0-0 draw against Slovenia at Euro 2024?
Jude Bellingham was declared the Player of the Match after his header earned England all three points in their Euro 2024 opener against Serbia. However, things haven't quite clicked for the Real Madrid superstar since then so let's take a look at his stats from the Three Lions' stalemate against Slovenia (June 25).
Bellingham featured for the entire 90 minutes but despite not shying away from the ball, failed to produce much with it. He landed zero shots, created zero chances, and made zero tackles. Moreover, he lost possession 16 times and completed just one dribble from six attempts.
Many top English stars like Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka have also struggled for form at Euro 2024. Fortunately, the Three Lions managed to finish at the top of Group C with five points, two points above second-placed Denmark.