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Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers 'have to accept' decision on England playing time
With the World Cup looming, one of the more intriguing battles for positions in the England lineup is Jude Bellingham vs. Morgan Rogers.
Bellingham had been a locked-in starter for the Three Lions for several years, but the Real Madrid star has seen his playing time cut into by Rogers, who has made 10 international appearances this year alone under manager Thomas Tuchel.
Many of those appearances had come when Bellingham was unavailable due to injury, but Rogers was the preferred starter last week against Serbia despite Bellingham's recent return to health as the Aston Villa man continues to impress the England boss.
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Bellingham was a second-half substitute for Rogers in that match, and on Sunday against Albania, the roles were reversed as Bellingham started and was replaced by Rogers in the final moments of the team's 2-0 victory in Tirana.
However, Tuchel warned that Rogers could be the preferred player of the two going forward, in which case Bellingham would have to acknowledge the coach's decision just as Rogers did ahead of Sunday's match.
"He has to accept it, he has to accept it," Tuchel said. "We should not make more out of it than it is. Rogers was not happy when he couldn't start today because he deserves to play, and he wants to play all the time.
"We gave him a bit of a rest because he came with a lot of minutes playing at [his] club and played for us against Serbia. I also don't want to make more out of it. I stick to my words - behaviour is key.
"Decisions are made, and you have to accept it as a player."
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