Jobe Bellingham earns first England senior call-up as Tuchel cites Carsley push
Jobe Bellingham has been called into England's senior squad for the first time, with manager Thomas Tuchel crediting the U21 captain's form at Borussia Dortmund and Lee Carsley's lobbying.
Jobe Bellingham has received his first England senior call-up, joining a squad that could see him feature alongside older brother Jude. Manager Thomas Tuchel said England U21 head coach Lee Carsley had been advocating for the younger Bellingham's promotion for some time, describing him as the standout performer and captain of the Young Lions.
The call-up follows a path similar to Jude's. Jobe came through the Birmingham City academy and made his senior debut for the club at 16 years and 107 days, 69 days older than Jude was at his first Birmingham appearance. He then moved to Sunderland, helping them win promotion to the Premier League, before joining Borussia Dortmund at 19 in a deal worth up to £31m — the same German club Jude joined at 17 before later moving to Real Madrid.
Tuchel framed the selection as a natural opportunity. Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended for the first game of the international break and Bournemouth's Alex Scott is injured after impressing on his debut in last month's 7-0 win over Croatia. Tuchel said Jobe deserves the chance to make an impression, calling it an incredible achievement for the family and praising his calm, open personality and excitement at the news.
On the pitch, Tuchel described Jobe as a more defensive midfielder than Jude — physically strong, good in possession and one of five central midfield options. The article notes Jobe wears 'Jobe' on his shirt rather than his family name, a suggestion from a former coach that he said shows he is going his own way. At Dortmund, after a timid start following his move from Sunderland, he has built muscle, sharpened his decision-making and recently impressed in a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, though the arrival of Joey Veerman in August left his starting place uncertain.
England host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, 12 November before travelling to Madrid to face Spain on 15 November. If the brothers take the field together, they would not be the first siblings to represent England: Gary and Phil Neville last played together for the country 19 years ago, while Bobby and Jack Charlton were both part of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad. More recently, Nathaniel and Trevoh Chalobah have both played for England but never alongside each other.
Image: Getty Images / BBC Sport
