Jamie Carragher says Jude Bellingham has to start for England at the World Cup – and Gareth Southgate must consider a switch to 4-3-3 to get the most out of the midfielder.
The 19-year-old continues to go from strength to strength with Borussia Dortmund, with eight goals from 17 appearances to his name this season.
While he is a certainty to make England boss Southgate’s squad for the World Cup when it is submitted on December 14, Carragher says the teenager must now play a central role in Qatar.
“He’s a different type of player,” Carragher said on a special edition of the Sky Sports England World Cup ladder.
Jude Bellingham is at his best as an attacking No 8, says Jamie Carragher
“He takes you back to a Steven Gerrard type of player, who’s going to go forward and supplement the attack, creating chances and scoring goals.
“What he makes you think about is England playing 4-3-3 a lot more than three at the back. When England play three at the back, they play two sitting midfield players and I don’t think that’s his game.
“It’s almost Declan Rice and one other and Jude Bellingham is at that stage where he has to play. Certainly his performances over the last few internationals, in the Nations League, deserve that.
“He’s more of an attacking midfield player than a sitting midfield player. Could he play central midfield? Of course he could. And if you’re playing that back three, Bellingham can go forward and you’ve still got the back-three defence, plus Declan Rice – four players behind the ball – and maybe one of the wing-backs as well.
“But in an ideal world, how he plays for Borussia Dortmund is in a 4-3-3 and he’s one of the attacking No8s. That’s him at his best.”
If Southgate does turn to his favoured three-at-the-back set-up during the tournament, the injuries to Kyle Walker and Reece James will come into sharp focus.
Both players are major doubts to go to Qatar, with Walker recovering from groin surgery and James suffering a knee problem. They have each issued determined statements suggesting they are intending to race against time to make it onto the plane.
However, Carragher warned that from his own experience of playing in major tournaments with England, taking players who are not fully fit rarely works out.
“They weren’t just players who were going to be in the squad. They were going to be in the team,” said Carragher about the importance of the injuries to Walker and James.
“If England stuck with the back three, Walker would have been the right-sided centre back and James would have been the right wing-back. They were starters for England and that makes it a bigger blow for Gareth Southgate.
“My recollection of squads I was involved in, players who went into the tournament injured, there was the idea of getting them fit throughout the tournament.
“Wayne Rooney and David Beckham were two players, [where] 99 per cent of us would have done exactly the same as the managers at the time, trying to integrate them into the squad because they were so important. One was the captain, one was the best player.
“It never worked for them and it never worked for England in those tournaments, with injured players. I’d be very reluctant to take too many people in that situation.
“There’s always someone you can take a chance on, the squad is now 26 as well, which means you can take a couple of wildcards with someone not being fully fit. But with two in the same position, it would be difficult to take the two of them if they’re not 100 per cent fit.”
Southgate’s view on those injuries and how much he is willing to gamble on the fitness of Walker and James – if they do get themselves in a position to compete for a place in the squad – will also have an impact on Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Injuries to Reece James and Kyle Walker have opened the door for Trent Alexander-Arnold (left)
The Liverpool defender has largely been out of favour during Southgate’s tenure – and Carragher feels it will still be very hard for Alexander-Arnold to get into the starting XI, even if Walker and James miss out.
“Trent’s situation is helped by the injuries to Kyle Walker and Reece James and if those two players are out he’s a cert to go in the squad – but I still think he’ll find it really difficult to get into the team,” said Carragher.
“I think Kieran Trippier would be ahead of him in Southgate’s eyes. If you take one of Walker and James, there’s still enough room for Trent to go but if those players miraculously made themselves fit or Southgate wanted to take a chance or risk with their fitness it may be difficult for Trent in terms of making the squad.
“I don’t see him making the team if Trippier stays fit, so it all hinges on how Southgate sees those injuries.”
Watch the Sky Sports England World Cup Ladder video above to hear more from Jamie Carragher, including who he would take as back-up to Harry Kane and his verdict on the Harry Maguire situation at centre back.
World Cup ladder: Calvert-Lewin back in the mix; White on the rise
It was another strong week for Jude Bellingham (up one place), who scored three times in two games, and he rises to fourth in the Sky Sports England World Cup ladder. Kieran Tripper (eighth) also edged up a couple of spots, as did fellow full-back Luke Shaw (13th), with the Man Utd full-back setting up Casemiro’s late equaliser at Chelsea on Saturday.
However, it was further down the ladder, where fringe players are vying for inclusion, where the significant movements really took place.
Ben White (up two places to 20th) strengthened his hand with an assist for Arsenal at Southampton, while Ivan Toney (up two to 22nd), Marcus Rashford (up one to 24th), and Callum Wilson (up one to 25th) were on the rise in the race to be Harry Kane’s back-up.
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Watch Dominic Calvert-Lewin strike for Everton against Crystal Palace
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is also very much in that contest. He leapt up eight spots to 32nd, with the fit-again Everton forward making his case for inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s squad with a well-taken goal against Crystal Palace. It was a less productive weekend for Tammy Abraham (down eight to 35th), who is now eight games without a goal after firing another blank in Roma’s defeat to Napoli.
Elsewhere, James Maddison has jumped up four spots to 29th, and is just a couple of places outside of the squad cut-off after taking his tally to six goals and two assists in the Premier League this season.
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James Maddison was on target for Leicester in their big win at Wolves
Trent Alexander-Arnold got 90 minutes under his belt against West Ham last Wednesday after his recent ankle problem – but his move up the standings is more down to the prognosis of the injury to Reece James, with the Liverpool right-back moving up the queue in that department.
It’s mixed news at Crystal Palace, where defender Marc Guehi (down 10, 39th) is slipping out of the frame after his side’s 3-0 defeat at Everton but forward-thinking Ebe Eze (new entry, 40th) showed what he could bring with a nice goal in their midweek win over Wolves.
