By Martin Graham
Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham will be sidelined for a significant part of next season as he is set to have shoulder surgery following the Club World Cup in the United States.
The 21-year-old has dealt with a recurring shoulder issue since last year. The operation has been planned to take place after the expanded 32-team tournament, scheduled from 15 June to 13 July. His club has opted to delay the procedure until after the competition.
Bellingham has continued playing while managing the injury, often seen with shoulder support during matches for both England and Madrid. He initially suffered the problem in a match against Rayo Vallecano, which caused him to miss fixtures for both club and country towards the end of 2023.
Due to the surgery and subsequent recovery, Bellingham is likely to miss the entirety of preseason and at least the first month and a half of the new campaign. His absence would also rule him out of England’s September fixtures, including World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
England manager Thomas Tuchel is set to announce the squad for June’s matches against Andorra and Senegal on Friday. There is uncertainty around whether players taking part in the Club World Cup will be called up.
Bellingham made a strong impression in his debut season in Spain after joining Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £115 million. He played a key role in helping his side secure both the domestic league title and the Champions League, contributing 23 goals in 43 appearances.
However, his performances this season have seen a dip, with 14 goals in 52 games. Madrid finished behind Barcelona in La Liga and were eliminated from the Champions League in the last eight by Arsenal.
