TRIPPIER: JUDE RINGS ALL THE RIGHT BELLS FOR EUROS

RYAN TAYLOR KIERAN TRIPPIER says Jude Bellingham is the man to end more than 50 years of hurt for England at Euro 2024. The Real Madrid superstar has already taken Spanish football by storm – and now Trippier wants the 20-year-old to fire the Three Lions to glory in Germany next summer. “He can be the difference,” said the Newcastle right-back (left) ahead of Tuesday’s showdown with Italy. “At such a young age, with the maturity, the quality and the aggression he’s got, he’s frightening.

“It’s not a surprise at all, the standards that he’s set in Madrid. You can see he’s playing with freedom and the players around him are going to make him even better. The scary thing is he’s only 20.”

England are looking to finally bury old demons against the Azzurri at Wembley 27 months on from their heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat in the final of Euro 2020. Bellingham (below) was an unused substitute on that rain-sodden evening, but now he is viewed as indispensable by boss Gareth Southgate and his England team-mates. Yet Trippier has warned rivals that England are no one-man band – even if worldbeater Bellingham has scored 10 goals in 10 games for Madrid since his £88.5million summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund.

“We lost in the Euros final, but the most important thing is we’re progressing and doing very well,” added Trippier.

“We’ve got goals from all over the pitch and Jude, Madders (James Maddison), Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden can all change games in certain moments.

“The important thing is us as a team, the staff, Gareth, everybody involved, we stick together. Internally, there are no problems – everyone is relaxed.”