Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti joked that he "got angry" with Jude Bellingham ahead of his much-anticipated return to training this week.
Following his campaign with England at this summer's European Championship, Bellingham has enjoyed a well-deserved break in Los Angeles with Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The pair visited Six Flags and Universal Studios theme parks on their trip to the United States, as the pair travelled with Trent's younger brother Marcell and close friend Toby Bishay.
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In the coming days, Bellingham will join up with his Los Blancos teammates as they prepare for the upcoming campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, who spoke to the Spanish press on Sunday.
Here, the Italian opened up on Bellingham's return, although getting in touch with the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder hasn't been easy.
“I got angry with Bellingham,” Ancelotti told reporters whilst on Real Madrid’s pre-season tour of the US.
When asked why he got angry, he smiled before saying: “Yes, because I called him and he didn’t answer. I then told Vinicius to call him and he immediately answered! So I got angry!”
Rather than call Bellingham back on his own phone, Ancelotti had other ideas. “No, no, no! Vini passed it to me!” he laughed.
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The Italian was also asked if Bellingham's more advanced role will change this season following the summer arrival of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain.
"Nothing changes for him. Nothing changes," he said. "The first season, he surprised a lot, because he showed fantastic quality, a really mature guy. The next season will not be different.
"He is going to be one of the best players that we have, supporting a lot the team with his quality."
When asked about Bellingham receiving criticism for his performance at Euro 2024 this summer, Ancelotti added: "This is an opinion but Bellingham played really well at the Euros.
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"England played really well, they reached the final and were close to winning it. I don't know how the players are tired for the game."
He added: "The most important players are used to playing every three days, they manage that really well and arrive at the end of the season without any problems."
Topics: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, La Liga