Jude Bellingham could play up front for England with Harry Kane left out at World Cup

England boss Thomas Tuchel has another attacking option in the form of Jude Bellingham.

Jude Bellingham could play as England’s No. 9 at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel briefly deployed the Real Madrid superstar in that position during England’s final friendly against Costa Rica, and it is evidently a genuine possibility. Captain Harry Kane remains the first-choice striker, but in-form Bellingham could prove a viable alternative within a different tactical setup.

Tuchel could then field both Bellingham and Morgan Rogers in the same starting line-up should Kane be unavailable or require a rest. England boss Tuchel said: “Maybe we’ll see it in the tournament. It’s easy. Jude can play as the number nine almost like in a free role, come into midfield, drop into midfield, drop into half spaces, start more dribbling, Harry then starts more assisting.

“Jude has the personality to score, to be decisive and to arrive in the box so it is an option to play with him and Morgan Rogers. I wanted to see that for a few minutes at least. Lets see.

“Ollie Watkins was also good, Ivan Toney was good against New Zealand and trains at a high level so it’s good. I have some options.”

Meanwhile, Tuchel confirmed that Bellingham had wanted to take a penalty against Costa Rica, but it was coach Anthony Barry who instructed Anthony Gordon to step up instead.

Gordon obliged and converted after taking the ball from Bellingham, with the order of takers becoming confused amid a flurry of substitutions. Bellingham clearly thrived in his starting berth against Costa Rica and has now firmly placed himself in contention to feature from the off against Croatia.

Tuchel added: “I think he was going to take it. Anthony Gordon was on the list as second (penalty taker) but because of all the changes it was not so clear, it was our responsibility to make it clearer so it took a while but Anthony is the taker and he took it.”

Bellingham is also vying for a starting role with Morgan Rogers, and former England international Kyle Walker believes that the Real Madrid man is leading that race.

“For me Jude just has the edge at the moment and that’s no detriment to Morgan,” Walker wrote in The Sun. “I played with Morgan when he was on the way up at Manchester City and he went on loan to the likes of Blackpool.

“He really put in the work and it speaks volumes for him that he’s now competing with Jude for an England starting place at this World Cup.”

He added: “This is just the start for Morgan Rogers. But the thing about Jude is his amazing presence on the field that makes defenders so worried. And for Morgan to be in the same bracket is a massive credit to him.”