This might sound controversial, but I think it’s a debate worth having.
Seeing as it’s the international break coming up, and there’s going to be a little less club action to talk about, how about we have a little debate to take our minds of the recent run of results.
Pep Clotet spoke last month about how it is great to see some of our young players being involved in their national squad, and the kind of positive image that it reflects on the club as a whole:
“Seeing some of our youngsters out on international duty shows this Club is doing a very good job in the academy, you need to work for 4-5 years to start seeing results, the academy has been fantastic, they deserve all the credit.”
And on that note, it’s rather sad to see that Jude Bellingham hasn’t been called up to the England U17 side for their upcoming games. Despite captaining them to victory in the Syrenka Cup last month, it appears as if his efforts for the Blues since have failed to grab the attention of manager Kevin Betsy.
Whilst I agree with Clotet that it is great to see your players being picked for their country, regardless of what age group it is, I must say I find myself a tiny bit conflicted when it comes to Jude Bellingham.
Have we somehow managed to dodge a bullet by him not being called up?
Given that he is slowly becoming a prominent member of the first team, you could make the argument that his time is better served trying to help get the first team out of the current rut that we find ourselves in when it comes to results. However, at the same time, going away with England should help his development and make him come back a better player, which will help the squad when he comes back.
I suppose it really comes down to where you stand on the club v country debate, and which matters more to you.
What about you? Would you allow Bellingham to go away with the England side for this next set of games? Or would you rather he stayed with the first team and help put things right with them?
