Sunderland international omitted from midweek match day squad despite call-up
Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham was absent from England U20s’ win over Romania on Tuesday.
Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham sat out an England Elite League squad clash with Romania on Tuesday evening, despite having been part of the U20s camp during the current international break.
The teenager featured in the Young Lions’ 1-1 draw with Turkey on Friday evening, but was absent entirely from their cohort for a 2-0 victory over their Romanian counterparts at Stockport County’s Edgeley Park yesterday, and was not even named on the bench for Paul Nevin’s side.
While it is unclear at this stage as to why Bellingham was omitted from England’s match day squad, it is an unusual step for players who have been called up on international duty to be left out of a travelling contingent, unless extenuating circumstances are at play. Ordinarily, that could mean an injury - although it is worth emphasising that there are no concrete indications Bellingham has picked up a knock. Another possibility is that given his first team involvement at the Stadium of Light, agreements have been made to limit his game time for the national side - although, again, there are no guarantees at this stage that this is the case.
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Bellingham played a full 90 minutes against Turkey last week, and has not been the only Sunderland talent taking part in youth internationals over the past few days. Fellow first team midfielder Chris Rigg has been a regular feature for the U18s, rounding out his break with a second half appearance in a 1-1 draw against France on Sunday following outings against Switzerland and Portugal as part of the Lafarge International Tournament.
Elsewhere, Rhys Walsh was called up for Northern Ireland U19s for matches against Norway and Slovakia, while promising forward Finn Geragusian was in goal-scoring action on his debut for Armenia U19s against Lithuania.
As for Bellingham, the ex-Birmingham City starlet has been in sparkling form for Regis Le Bris’ senior side on Wearside this season, playing every minute of Sunderland’s unbeaten start to the new Championship campaign thus far. He also provided an assist in the Black Cats’ opening weekend victory over Cardiff City last month.