Jude Bellingham said that he had ‘got his smile back’ after helping England win promotion back to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.
Bellingham has endured a difficult start to the season with Real Madrid, scoring just once in his first 13 appearances for the Spanish champions.
His slow start to the club campaign came after a summer of heartbreak as Bellingham was part of the England side pipped to Euro 2024 glory by Spain.
However, Bellingham was back on top form on Sunday night as he produced two assists in England’s 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.
That match was interim manager Lee Carsley’s final game in charge before being replaced by Thomas Tuchel in January.
After the match, Bellingham took to Instagram to post a 25-word farewell message to Carsley.
Jude Bellingham pictured (No 10) in action for England during Sunday’s 5-0 win over Ireland
Sunday’s game at Wembley was Lee Carsley’s last in his role as England’s interim manager
Bellingham’s message read: ‘Huge thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in these last few camps. Got my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful!’
Carsley was handed control of the Three Lions first-team in August when he was temporarily promoted from his role with the Under-21s following Gareth Southgate’s departure.
He oversaw six games in total, all in the Nations League, and delivered five wins. Carsley only negative result was a 2-1 home defeat by Greece in October. However, England atoned for that loss by winning 3-0 in Athens on Thursday.
Carsley will now compile a detailed dossier for Tuchel from his six games in charge ahead of talks with the new England boss.
And Carsley believes the young players he has blooded, many of whom he had worked with at Under-21 level, have the talent to make their mark under the German
‘We spoke about not only gaining promotion from the Nations League but to potentially increase the pool of players Thomas has got to choose from,’ said Carsley after Sunday’s game
‘The challenge now for the players that have been involved for the last three camps is to be in and around the March squad. A lot of them have done themselves a lot of good in terms of enhancing their reputation of their ability to play in the England senior team and gaining a cap is no mean feat. I’m really proud for a lot of them.
‘It’s a job that deserves an elite coach with a track record of winning and Thomas has got that. The bonus would be we’ve increased the pool of players. The next squad will be a real challenge to pick, I’m sure. Exciting times ahead.
Carsley pictured talking to Bellingham during Sunday’s game in the UEFA Nations League
Bellingham posted a 25-word message to Carsley via his Instagram account on Sunday night
‘It’s not a gamble with some of these players, they are excellent players, they want to overcome anything in front of them and at the Under-21s they have had an expectation of winning.
‘You always learn a lot about yourself when you are in a position you are not used to and the most pleasing thing is the younger players coming through which now many have seen themselves in an England shirt.’
On his dossier, Carsley added: ‘I’m trying to put together, with the rest of the staff, a debrief on all three camps.
‘I will put together a document, then hopefully meet him and present what we think and what we’ve found. The job for us as an U21 staff is to support the senior manager.’