England suffer fresh blow as Jude Bellingham's behaviour 'repulses' Thomas Tuchel's mum
England boss Thomas Tuchel has admitted his own mum is often left "repulsed" by Jude Bellingham's behaviour on the pitch as he opened up on the Real Madrid star
Thomas Tuchel has conceded that his mother finds Jude Bellingham's on-field behaviour somewhat distasteful.
The England manager also described the Real Madrid star as having an "intimidating" effect on his fellow players. Such frank comments are likely to spark discussion regarding a manager's public assessment of a key player, potentially setting the stage for tension.
That is the last thing England and Tuchel need after a poor week, which has seen them labour to victory over Andorra and lose their home friendly with Senegal. Bellingham has developed a reputation for contentious interactions with referees, resulting in disciplinary measures, including red cards and suspensions in La Liga, alongside a controversial gesture during last summer's European Championship.
Tuchel's mother Gabriele, who closely monitors her son's career, harbours reservations about the young English midfielder, particularly the duality of his character, reports the Mirror.
Tuchel told talkSPORT: "I think it has to be the other way around, how we can have the best version of him and the best acceptance that people understand what he is bringing to us, and that he is bringing a certain edge.
"But I see that it can create mixed emotions. I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice and well-educated and well-behaved guy that I see. If he smiles, he wins everyone.
"But sometimes you see the rage, you see the hunger and the rage and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive, for example, for my mother, when she sits in front of the TV. I see that, but in general we are very happy to have him. He is a special boy."
Tuchel also conceded that they need to find the most effective way to direct Bellingham's temper to maximise his potential. The German added: "I think he has a certain something. I think he brings an edge, which we welcome and which is needed if we want to achieve big things.
"It needs to be channelled. The edge needs to be directed towards the opponent, towards our goal and not to intimidate team-mates, or to be overly aggressive to team-mates or referees.
"But [channel it] towards opponents, yes, and always towards the solution, meaning towards winning. We are on that, yes. He has the fire. I don't want to dim this down. He should play with this kind of fire, that's his strength.
"But the fire comes also with some attributes that can intimidate you, maybe even as a team-mate.
"You see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game, so if he can channel this in the right way, and we can help him in this, then for sure he has the something that we need. And he has a certain edge that is hard to find."
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