Tuchel Hints at Bellingham in Unconventional Striker Role

England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that he might deploy Jude Bellingham as a central striker at certain points during the World Cup. The German tactician experimented with this move in the second half of the friendly against Costa Rica. After substituting Harry Kane in the 63rd minute, Tuchel opted not to replace him with another forward, instead bringing on Morgan Rogers. Bellingham was then pushed further up the pitch.

“Jude can play as a number nine in a more fluid role. He can drop back into midfield, exploit half-spaces, and dribble more. In that scenario, Harry would start to provide more assists. Jude has the qualities to score, to be decisive, and to get into the penalty area, so there’s a possibility I could play both him and Morgan Rogers. I want to see that, at least for a few minutes. We’ll see,” Tuchel stated.