Shearer claims top England star ‘wasn’t happy’ with Southgate at Euro 2024 role as player issues instant response

Jude Bellingham has responded immediately to play down claims made by Alan Shearer that he was left frustrated by the role handed to him by England boss Gareth Southgate in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final.

The Three Lions were left crushingly-disappointed after falling at the final hurdle on Sunday evening, going down 2-1 to Spain in Berlin, in a loss that sees them enter the record books as the first side to lose successive European Championship finals. As a result, England‘s long quest to win a major trophy will enter a 60th year with plans for the 2026 World Cup due to get underway once the dust has settled on their Euro 2024 misery.

The immediate focus for the FA will be on whom takes charge for their next campaign, with Southgate’s contract with the FA due to expire at the end of the calendar year.

The 53-year-old was giving little away on his future in the immediate aftermath of Sunday night’s loss, though BBC anchor Gary Lineker appeared to let the secret out the bag.

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Should Southgate decide to walk away, he will leave his role after eight years and with the tag of England’s ‘nearly man’. While he has steered the country to two major finals, and the World Cup semi-finals, there will always be the feeling of what might have been.

Criticism of his reign has certainly come louder than ever during Euro 2024, with many arguing that Southgate has failed to get the best out of one of England’s best crop of players for a generation and that they have stumbled their way into the final.

Having been labelled a ‘moments’ team, it’s hard to argue against such theories.

Shearer claims Bellingham was unhappy with Euro 2024 final role

One player who perhaps befits that title more than most is Bellingham.

The Real Madrid superstar showed flashes of his brilliance, scoring a brilliant overhead kick to rescue England at the death against Slovakia in their round of 16 game, while also dominating the midfield for 25 minutes of their opener against Serbia.

Those instances aside, though, England have not been treated to Bellingham at his Real Madrid best.

Indeed, he was asked to play in a slightly-withdrawn left-sided role for England in Sunday’s final against Spain, rather than in his usual, more advanced No 10 role.

After the game, Shearer claimed Bellingham had looked hugely frustrated by his role, those frustrations potentially boiling to the service when the 21-year-old kicked over a carrier of water bottles after the game.

Suggesting Bellingham was not happy at Southgate’s tactics, Shearer told The Rest is Football podcast: “Bellingham wasn’t happy. He was stuck on the left again. You could tell he wasn’t happy at all.

“He had a disappointed look about him, his arms were up, he was looking towards the bench for guidance. He could see things weren’t going well and he wasn’t happy with the lack of press and everything else.

“He was showing all of those emotions. I could see it, I was looking at him all the time. He was showing it to the bench.

“He’s not a left midfielder is he so I sort of understood his emotions. I was really surprised Gareth Southgate went back to four at the back.

“Our best 45 minutes of football in the whole tournament was when we played three at the back in the first half against the Netherlands.

“I thought he would go for that system again. It’s clear that [Phil] Foden and Bellingham don’t want to play on the left in that system.”

Bellingham outlines ‘total respect’ and ‘love’ for Southgate

Speaking in the wake of the defeat, Bellingham would not be drawn on either his frustrations at his Euro 2024 final role, or on the future of Southgate.

However, he did make it clear his feelings of total respect for the manager for the trust he has placed in him during his career.

Bellingham said: “For me, it’s down to the manager and what the FA decide.

“I’ve got nothing but respect for Gareth giving me my debut in the squad, made me feel very at home.

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“He is someone who, I think, in the last year or two as well, our relationship’s kind of gone a little bit past football, where I feel like I can open up to him a lot and I think that speaks volumes of the kind of man he is as well.”

He continued: “Whatever happens with Gareth, I’ll always respect him. If he stays, then I’ll be even more determined to win something for him because he deserves it.

“Sometimes the numbers and the kind of statistics, the records don’t lie, he’s been our most successful manager since 1966. So whatever he decides, he will always have my respect and my love.”

If Southgate is to leave as England boss, he will have taken charge of the nation on 102 occasions, winning 61 of those to claim a win percentage record of 58.80%.