Euro 2024: England’s Gareth Southgate wants no extra pressure on Jude Bellingham - ‘It is a collective thing’

Gareth Southgate hopes to keep the pressure off Jude Bellingham as he joins the England squad for Euro 2024.

Bellingham was the last player to link up with the national team set-up after he took some time off after his UEFA Champions League win with Real Madrid.

The 20-year-old was therefore not part of the team that lost 1-0 to Iceland at Wembley on Friday night in their final friendly ahead of the tournament in Germany.

That defeat has raised fears among some of a disappointing tournament for England and Southgate after an impressive spell for the manager, and a trouble-free qualifying process.

Speaking to the press, Southgate maintained that Bellingham would help the side.

He said: "I'm sure he will but it is not his responsibility to do that.”

Asked if the midfielder could handle the growing pressure, he replied: "I'm sure he is but we are not putting everything on Jude. We've got a lot of good players and it is a collective thing to go and try to win this tournament.

"He is, of course, a player with a fabulous mentality and will have a big impact on the whole group."

Southgate also praised the youngsters who were part of Friday’s loss, Bukayo Saka of Arsenal and the in-form Chelsea star Cole Palmer.

He said: "It was also good to get Bukayo on the pitch. He has missed a lot of the training and we needed to see him out there as well."

For Palmer, he noted: "He's had a fabulous season and got himself into a couple of fabulous positions. He probably took a touch too many on both occasions, but the fact is he was in there on both occasions and looked dangerous."

England’s first Euro 2024 group match is against Serbia on Sunday, June 16.

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media