Jude Bellingham expected to miss England’s friendly against Japan

Jude Bellingham will not be risked in England’s final warm-up before the World Cup squad is named, head coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Monday, ending any lingering hope that the midfielder might feature against Japan at Wembley.

The 22-year-old, who has been managing a hamstring complaint since early February, trained with the squad at Tottenham’s training complex but was restricted to a neutral role, completing only part of the session. Tuchel, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said the decision to withhold Bellingham from Tuesday’s friendly is precautionary.

“I think it’s too much of a risk,” Tuchel explained. “The injury is a muscle, it’s a very particular one, and we absolutely don’t want the re-injury at this moment of the season.”

Bellingham’s last club appearance came eight days ago as a late substitute for Real Madrid, his first minutes since being reduced to tears by the initial setback. He had been included in March’s 35-man provisional squad and missed Friday’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay as a precaution.

While the midfielder’s presence in camp has been welcomed, Tuchel stressed that player welfare outweighs any short-term gain. “He was excellent in training, but we’re still holding him back,” the coach added.

Bellingham was among 26 players on the pitch Monday, while Jordan Henderson worked indoors. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, late arrivals to camp, have also been ruled out alongside Noni Madueke after five injury withdrawals followed the Uruguay stalemate.

England close their pre-World Cup schedule against Japan before Tuchel trims his enlarged selection to the final tournament roster.