If injury rules Bellingham out of the March international break, it could be a crushing blow to his chances of making it into England’s starting XI for the World Cup opener against Croatia on 17 June.
For the past 12 months he has been locked in a battle with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers for a place in Tuchel’s 4-2-3-1 system.
But at the moment it would be fair to say Rogers, the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year last season, is leading the race by some distance.
The 23-year-old was a cornerstone of the England side that achieved record-breaking success in the World Cup qualifiers. They scored 20 goals and did not concede in eight matches.
Rogers’ bid to claim pole position in time for the World Cup was aided by Bellingham’s previous spell on the sidelines, which meant he missed the September and October international breaks.
Bellingham and Rogers have had contrasting seasons. Rogers has become the talisman and focal point of a Villa side who are in the hunt for Champions League football.
Bellingham, on the other hand, has been booed by Real supporters at the Bernabeu in recent weeks, and manager Xabi Alonso was sacked this month.
A spell on the sidelines is the last thing Bellingham needs at such a crucial time of the season.
