Bellingham must accept and respect my decisions, says Tuchel

England coach Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham must accept his decisions after the midfielder expressed frustration at being substituted near the end of a 2-0 win over Albania in World Cup European qualifying on Sunday.

Bellingham had been booked in the 80th minute of the match and he was taken off four minutes later after making his first England start since June. The 22-year-old Real Madrid star put his arms in the air in frustration just after the second goal, having seen Morgan Rogers waiting to replace him on the touchline.

“That’s the decision, and he has to accept the decision,” Tuchel said. “His friend is waiting on the sideline, so you need to accept it, respect it, and keep on going.”

“I’m going to have to review it,” said Tuchel, who has clashed before with Bellingham. “I saw that he was not happy. I don’t want to make it bigger at the moment than it is.”

Tuchel praised his players involved in the campaign which saw England win all eight games with no goals conceded.

“Congratulations to them, it was a pleasure to fight with them and push them from the sidelines,” he said.

Although he shook hands with Tuchel before taking his seat on the bench, Bellingham's frustration will cast a cloud over England until the squad reconvene for a pair of friendlies in March.

By then, Tuchel will have seen England's World Cup draw in December as they move closer to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Some critics claim the paucity of opposition provided in Group K may have given a false impression of England's quality.

But after a slow start, it has been an impressive first year for Tuchel.

England are the first European country to finish a World Cup qualifying campaign of at least six matches by winning them all without conceding a goal.

Runners-up at the last two European Championship tournaments, they will be among the World Cup favourites as they chase a first major trophy since 1966.

"I don't dare to think about a starting eleven at the World Cup because there are so many months to play," Tuchel said.

"I just told the guys, I think we constantly progressed throughout the three camps. This is what we wanted.

"Congratulations to them, it was a pleasure to fight with them and push them from the sidelines."