Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Jude Bellingham must compete for his place in England's starting line-up ahead of the World Cup, stating that his squad boasts as many as 14 or 15 players capable of starting.

The Real Madrid midfielder has made only four starts under Tuchel since the German was appointed England manager in January 2025, with three further outings from the bench. Tuchel has instead leaned on Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, who appeared in 12 of his 13 matches in charge and was the sole player who featured in every one of England's eight World Cup qualifying fixtures.

"He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters," Tuchel told reporters. "These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them."

A turbulent spell under Tuchel

Bellingham's standing in the England set-up has shifted dramatically since the Gareth Southgate era. The 22-year-old missed just 29 minutes of England's entire Euro 2024 campaign, starting all seven matches, but his fortunes have since reversed.

He missed two qualifying matches last September through a shoulder injury, was then overlooked for October's international camp — which included a qualifier against Latvia — and was forced to sit out March friendlies with a persistent hamstring problem.

The pair's relationship has also attracted scrutiny. Tuchel described Bellingham's behaviour during last June's defeat by Senegal as "repulsive," a remark he later apologised for. In November, Tuchel said he would "review" Bellingham's conduct after the player reacted poorly to being substituted during a qualifier against Albania.

Signs of a turnaround

Despite the friction, Tuchel was encouraged by Bellingham's display in Saturday's World Cup warm-up against New Zealand in Tampa — a 1-0 England win — and believes the midfielder has found a "sweet spot" heading into the tournament. Bellingham took the captain's armband after coming on at half-time.

"You can see Jude has for sure the decisiveness and bite," Tuchel said. "He comes back, he's fresh, he wants to play and he's in top shape."

Tuchel acknowledged that Bellingham's injury struggles this season — which also disrupted his Real Madrid campaign and their UEFA Champions League run — had come at a painful time, but suggested the enforced rest may ultimately have left him rejuvenated ahead of the World Cup.