GARETH SOUTHGATE has warned: Jude Bellingham cannot solve England’s problems on his own.
The Real Madrid superstar joins up with the Three Lions on Sunday after being given time off to recover from his Champions League triumph.
Bellingham arrives at St George’s Park with his England team-mates still reeling from Friday night’s humiliating 1-0 Wembley defeat to Iceland.
Southgate admits Bellingham can lift the squad — who head for the Euros in Germany tomorrow — but the boss said: “I’m sure he will but it is not his responsibility to do that.
“It is for all of us to get the focus right, to make sure our mentality is right and make sure we’re working on the areas that need to be better than against Iceland.
“We are not putting everything on Jude.
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“We’ve got a lot of good players and it is a collective thing to go and try to win this tournament.
“If we are relying on one person, that isn’t going to be a team that wins.”
Bellingham, 20, had a stellar first season with Real, winning LaLiga then clinching Euro glory with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Southgate gave the ex-Birmingham and Dortmund midfield star extra time off to recharge.
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He missed both the 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia and that disastrous final warm-up against Iceland.
Now all eyes are on getting England firing for the Euro 2024 Group C opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen next Sunday.
Southgate added: “He is, of course, a player with fabulous mentality and will have a big impact on the whole group.
“But the biggest thing over the last couple of games is we’ve never had the collective together on the pitch at the same time.
“There are still players we are finding out about and it sharpens the focus leading into Serbia.”
John Stones is a fitness worry after his ankle knock against Iceland.
The defender will be assessed by England’s medical staff today.
With Harry Maguire out of the squad due to a calf injury, Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah is on standby.
Gareth Southgate will take the handbrake off at Euro 2024… because he has no choice
By Charlie Wyett
GARETH SOUTHGATE will have no choice but to take the handbrake off his England team at Euro 2024.
The defensive crisis gripping the Three Lions means the only option in Germany, within reason, will be outright attack.
Southgate has often been lambasted for his safety-first approach — even if he points out you must go back to Walter Winterbottom’s sides in the 1950s to find an England manager with a better scoring record.
But with the crocked Harry Maguire left out, Luke Shaw not fit enough to start the tournament and John Stones having made just 12 Premier League starts this season, this is not a defence you would stake your life on.
The last time England went to a major tournament in Germany — the 2006 World Cup — the four centre-backs selected were Sol Campbell (68 caps), Rio Ferdinand (47), Jamie Carragher (25) and John Terry (24).
This time, when England fly out on Monday, the quartet will be Lewis Dunk (six), Joe Gomez (14), Marc Guehi (ten) and Ezri Konsa (three).
It makes Southgate’s decision not to recall the 49-cap Eric Dier for his provisional squad even stranger — especially considering his strong end to the season with Bayern Munich.
The elder statesman in his defence — and the one who absolutely has to stay fit — is 71-cap Stones.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
