Jamie Carragher says he expects Thomas Tuchel will look to send a “message” to his squad by selecting Morgan Rogers over Jude Bellingham for England’s opening World Cup 2026 game.
The Three Lions take on Croatia in Group L next week, and you can click here for World Cup TV information if you’re not flying out to America for the tournament.
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Tuchel has one particularly big call to make for the Croatia game, with both Bellingham and Rogers in contention for an attacking midfield spot.
Bellingham is the bigger name and more proven talent at this level, having won silverware with Real Madrid, and with 47 caps to his name, while Rogers has just 13.
Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers?
Still, Rogers is in fine form at the moment and would arguably deserve a place in the England starting line up on merit, with Carragher expecting Tuchel to send that message.
The German tactician has already shown he’s prepared to leave big names out by not even including the likes of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer in his squad, so could we now see him set the tone for this tournament by leaving Bellingham out?
“It’s the World Cup. It’s about winning,” Carragher said on The Overlap on YouTube. “But I think the way you saw him deal with Bellingham, leaving Palmer out and Foden. It’s almost like a message to the rest of the (squad), you know what – he’s the manager. He’s going to make big decisions. I think he’ll start with Rogers.”
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Jude Bellingham vs Morgan Rogers stats
It’s not an easy debate for England, but it’s probably fair to say that there’s some sense in gambling with Rogers over Bellingham right now.
See below for a comparison of their stats for club and country this season…
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Jude Bellingham | 54 | 9 | 7 |
| Morgan Rogers | 66 | 14 | 12 |
Bellingham is a fine player who can surely still have an impact at this World Cup, but for now the more in-form attacker is Rogers, and it seems very harsh not to make him a starter.
Who would you go for in the England starting XI? Let us know in the comments!
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