Matthaus tells England to start Bellingham in ´every game´

Lothar Matthaus has urged England to start Jude Bellingham in every match at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Three Lions head to the tournament in poor form, failing to win any of their past six competitive matches, their worst sequence of results ever before a major tournament.

Questions regarding Gareth Southgate’s first-choice XI remain, with the manager staying loyal to those who performed well in the 2018 World Cup and last year’s European Championship.

However, Borussia Dortmund star Bellingham has worked his way into the side and started England’s last three matches, with Bayern Munich and West Germany great Matthaus believing that streak should continue in the upcoming tournament.

“He’s someone English football fans need to be hugely excited about,” the 61-year-old Bundesliga television pundit told FourFourTwo.

“With his mentality, he’s not somebody that needs to be treated as a young player who hopes for a few minutes here and there, he’s a player who should be starting every match.

“He’s becoming an important part of the national team and, in my opinion, he has the potential to be one of the best midfielders England have ever produced.

“I played against some pretty good ones myself and I see those qualities in him.”

England begin their group stage campaign against Iran on November 21, then tackling the United States and Wales in Group B.

3 – Jude Bellingham has become the first midfielder in UEFA Champions League history to score in three consecutive appearances while still a teenager. Prodigy. pic.twitter.com/CbhIGsreoD

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 5, 2022