Jude Bellingham injury: England face anxious wait after Real Madrid star exits LaLiga win in tears | OneFootball

Three Lions star could be a doubt for final World Cup warm-up games against Uruguay and Japan next month

England and Thomas Tuchel will be nervously awaiting news on the severity of a worrying-looking hamstring injury suffered by Jude Bellingham that left him in tears.

The Three Lions midfielder started for Los Blancos on Sunday afternoon in their dramatic 2-1 LaLiga win over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu, settled by a last-gasp Kylian Mbappe penalty.

However, Bellingham lasted less than 10 minutes of the game before going down with an apparent left hamstring injury, having pulled up and clutched the back of his leg while running after a loose ball.

He led outstretched on the pitch, received treatment from Madrid’s medical staff and was in tears as he walked off after receiving support from his team-mates, replaced by Brahim Diaz.

Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa was unable to shed any light on the seriousness of Bellingham’s injury immediately after the game as they await further assessment, telling reporters: “We still don't know anything about Bellingham.”

However, Arbeloa firmly dismissed any suggestion that the 22-year-old had been carrying an injury heading into Sunday’s match.

The sight of Bellingham limping off in tears will be a huge concern for England, who complete their preparations for this summer’s World Cup finals with a pair of Wembley friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in late March that come before manager Tuchel names his squad for the tournament in North America.

The Three Lions are set to be based in Kansas City for the World Cup and begin their Group L campaign against Croatia in Texas on June 17, moving on to Massachusetts to face Ghana on June 23 before meeting Panama in New Jersey on June 27.

Bellingham - England’s Men’s Player of the Year for 2024/25 - was a shock omission from the squad for October wins over Wales and Latvia despite being fit and available for selection, having missed World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September following surgery on a long-standing shoulder injury after the Club World Cup.

However, he was recalled by Tuchel for November games against Serbia and Albania, coming off the bench against the former before starting in Tirana.