Jude Bellingham was spotted in an “animated” debate with an England coach.
On Saturday England lost to Brazil 1-0 in a tepid friendly at Wembley, with wonderkid Endrick tapping in the game’s only goal with 10 minutes remaining.
Among several talking points from the game was Brazil’s tactical fouling of the Three Lions’s star Bellingham, with the player kicked and tripped almost every time he picked up the ball in midfield.
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As has been widely reported, the referee’s lax reaction to Bellingham’s rough treatment drew the ire of England coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at half-time.
The Mail Online claimed that Hasselbaink did not hold back in the Wembley tunnel at the break, expressing his displeasure to the fourth official and counting out the number of fouls Brazil had made.
The England coach is even said to have given Danilo “a piece of his mind” when the full-back tried to get involved.
However, the Mail has also claimed that it was not the Dutchman’s first animated exchange that evening.
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Moments before kick-off, as the players were leaving the pitch after the warm-up, Hasselbaink was allegedly locked in an "animated" debate with Bellingham while heading towards the tunnel.
The publication added that there was nothing to suggest it was anything other than a healthy discussion, but that the “body language” of both parties suggested they were in disagreement.
England boss Southgate insisted that Bellingham will grow as an England player after being targeted by Brazil’s tough tactics.
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“He is a top player and they’re an aggressive side,” Southgate said. “In a competitive game, there would have been more cards than there were tonight so that would have curbed that. But that’s a good experience for him to have to go through.
“I thought he handled it well tonight. He’s ended up getting a yellow card that could have been the other way several times. The bigger thing tonight was that he was cramping up. He’s missed a lot of football recently so physically he’s still getting back to that top level.”
Topics: England, Jude Bellingham, Brazil, Football, Gareth Southgate
Chris Byfield