Jude Bellingham indirectly sent a message to England boss Gareth Southgate when responding to a teammate’s Instagram post.
The 20-year-old netted a stoppage-time equaliser against Belgium on Tuesday to see a depleted Three Lions claim a deserved 2-2 draw at Wembley.
England had been dealt a spate of injuries ahead of kick-off, with Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Kyle Walker all absent, while John Stones was forced off early in the first half.
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The injury crisis provided Southgate with an opportunity to play several fringe players, with Ezri Konsa, Jarrod Bowen, Ivan Toney and player of the match Kobbie Mainoo all starting against Domenico Tedesco’s side.
But one player who received limited play time over the March international break was Tottenham’s James Maddison, with the midfielder coming on for Mainoo with just 15 minutes remaining against Belgium.
The 27-year-old stepped up, however, assisting Bellingham’s late leveller with a clever dinked pass.
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Maddison took to Instagram to celebrate his contribution after the game, with Bellingham showing his appreciation for the Spurs star.
“What a f—–g player,” Bellingham replied below Maddison's post.
While it is unclear whether Southgate agrees with Bellingham’s assessment of Maddison, he spoke positively about England’s fringe players when reflecting upon the March international
The Three Lions boss said: "I'm a little bit lost as to who we've got and who we haven't! The great thing is, that there are definitely some players who have emerged positively from the opportunities they've had. We've perhaps got more depth in one respect, but the injuries are a concern.
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"We've got so many players missing at the moment with the real heat of the season to come, with the intensity of the games and what's resting on them, we won't know what we're left with until right at the end."
On whether he is any closer to knowing who will feature in his 23-man squad for the Euros, he added: "There are so many unknowns about the 23 in terms of who might be available. These performances were very important to see whether these players could play against high-level opposition.
"But equally how they play in their games between now and the end of the season in big matches will have a high tariff too.
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"I wanted to see Anthony Gordon again, I thought he had an excellent impact in the first game, and I thought James Maddison could open things up a bit for us."
Topics: England, Jude Bellingham, James Maddison, Gareth Southgate, Belgium
Chris Byfield