Jude Bellingham has linked up with the Real Madrid squad as pre-season has begun for most of the team, but he will be carefully managed following his previous injuries.
The newest ‘Galactico’ was absent for England’s end-of-season fixtures, but has recovered in time to join training at Valdebebas alongside the other players who did not feature internationally, including arrivals Fran Garcia and Brahim Diaz.
Real Madrid have a packed pre-season tour to the USA, where they will face AC Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus in various locations across the country.
A report from AS has claimed that Real Madrid want to be cautious about Bellingham’s injuries prior to pre-season, and will not rush him into action. It is expected that he will not play any part in the friendlies against Milan and Man United, with his debut appearance coming against Madrid’s great rivals on July 29th, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
What is Bellingham’s fitness record like?
The 20-year-old has missed just four Borussia Dortmund games in his career through injury, but has picked up knocks over the years, and at his young age there may be some concern over the knee injuries which kept him away from England duty at the end of the season.
By all accounts, Bellingham is a top professional who takes fitness seriously, and the report from AS also claimed that he was the first player to arrive for pre-season training at his new club.
Careful management should mean he is able to stay fit, and Real Madrid have such a strong roster of midfielders that they will not need to rely on him to play in every single game, and rotation will be possible to keep him fresh throughout the season.
There is bound to be plenty of excitement over his arrival at Real Madrid, and rightly so, given the levels of talent he has already displayed for Dortmund and Birmingham City as a teenager.