Jude Bellingham showed maturity beyond his years as he defended his teammate during his post-match interview.
Bellingham was the star of the show as his goal in the 13th minute helped England get off to the perfect start at Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate’s men did have to endure some tough spells during the encounter but they were able to hold on for a vital 1-0 victory.
Speaking after the match, Bellingham was quick to defend his England teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold when asked about his performance in his new midfield role.
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He said on ITV: “He makes it so easy for me because he can control the game so well defensively in that position.
“I know people talk a lot of rubbish but he's so aggressive with that back to goal pressure and it really helped me as well because it meant I got a breather when he went out.”
Bellingham continued: “I think we understand each other well with the ball, he wants to play positive all the time, he wants to play forward all the time.
“We accept as team-mates who have that kind of quality that we are going to lose the ball and that's fine. We will win it back for each other and we will keep playing. I thought he was brilliant.”
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England boss Southgate was also satisfied with Alexander-Arnold’s performance, he said during his press conference: “Good. I have to say he’s been really diligent in getting his positioning right.
“Obviously Jude goes forward a lot, so I thought Trent adapted and adjusted to his positioning really well. Used the ball well, obviously had a really good effort on goal. In the end we wanted some fresh legs in there, Conor can get to the ball quickly. We’ve got a squad and we need to use it.”
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Topics: Jude Bellingham, England, Serbia, Euro 2024, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Football