The Debate: Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers - who should be England's No.10?

It's a question that has raged for several months: who will be England's starting No.10 at the World Cup?

Thomas Tuchel's been spoilt for choice with the position. He could afford to omit the in-form Morgan Gibbs-White, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.

Their absences leave Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers as the final two competitors in a compelling storyline that stems all the way back to October last year, when Bellingham was left out of Tuchel's squad for fixtures against Wales and Latvia.

At the time, Tuchel cited a lack of minutes for Bellingham following his return from shoulder surgery, and there was an expectation that the former Birmingham City man would make a seamless return to the international fold.

However, the continued excellence of Rogers for both club and country indicated there will be no easy route back into the Three Lions XI for the Real Madrid superstar.

There's a sense that Rogers' starting berth is his to lose and Bellingham - previously the poster boy of the England regime - is no longer indispensable.

With that in mind, members of the bet365 News team debate who should be starting in the No.10 role for England.

Jude Bellingham's world-class talent is undeniable and it would be foolish if Tuchel didn't have a major role for him this summer

Jaquob Crooke

It's pretty clear the message Tuchel has been trying to communicate throughout his 18-month England tenure; be a team player and you'll feature, or risk not playing at all.

Let's get straight to the point; Bellingham is a world-class individual.

His mesmerising ability to glide past opponents, dissect defences with a piercing pass and conjure brilliant match-winning moments have cemented his status as a global phenomenon for both Real Madrid and England.

When the Three Lions were floundering against Slovakia, it was Bellingham's sublime overhead kick that spared their blushes. Yes, the Stourbridge-born maestro was far from his dashing best during the tournament - the persistent shoulder issue and physical exertions of a 15,000+ minute season had taken their toll - but England are a far more dangerous unit when Bellingham is parading around the pitch.

There's been great debate concerning Bellingham's best position, and he is the victim of his own adaptability.

England's pivot is settled. Elliott Anderson will be the six, and Declan Rice will operate as the eight.

Bellingham has showcased his ability to be a box-crashing, goal-getting attacking midfielder under Carlo Ancelotti. On occasions at Dortmund, he embraced a deep-lying playmaker role. This season, although listed as a No.10, he was permitted by Alvaro Arbeloa to drop deeper in a 4-1-4-1 shape.

If we're assessing players by the simple measure of goals and assists, his output has deteriorated. However, if you scratch deeper beneath the surface, his creative numbers are impressive. He dominates metrics for forward passes, shots on target and chances created.

Haul yourself away from the numerical assessment and with the eye test, you witness a player who plays on the front foot, carving endless opportunities with his own divine skill and mesmerising intelligence.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter where Bellingham plays, just as long as he does: he is special. Yes, there have been concerns about his temperament, but the former Birmingham City academy graduate can be moulded into any player Tuchel desires.

His defensive contributions are consistently strong and his efforts out of possession satisfy Tuchel's criteria. With the balance of Anderson and Rice behind him, Bellingham can flourish and take more risks if Kane is dropping deeper to be involved with build-up.

Previous criticism of Tuchel's predecessors has been an insistence on shoe-horning the big names into an anarchic mess, but to overlook Bellingham entirely would be unfathomable. He delivers in high-pressure moments and thrives under the spotlight.

When it comes to England bemoaning another failed tournament or returning from North America with a second star above the Three Lions crest, Bellingham has to start.

Fresh off the back of a sensational individual campaign for club and country, Europa League champion Morgan Rogers must start for England this summer.

Hayden Cottle

With 14 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season, Rogers has firmly established himself amongst the best players in the Premier League, with elite clubs from across Europe reportedly chasing his signature.

Despite only making his England debut in November 2024, the former Middlesbrough man has become a mainstay in Thomas Tuchel’s team selection, earning a reputation as one of the German’s most reliable squad members.

As almost everyone will tell you, success at international tournaments is built on moments.

Moments can come in a multitude of different forms, whether that be a sublime pass to unlock a stubborn defence, a moment of technical dribbling to create half a yard for a pass or even a frustrated thunder…strike from 30 meters out to break a low block.

Look back through Rogers’ best moments from 2025/26 – bring some snacks because the videos will be long - and you will see that the Aston Villa man has provided these and more when his side had needed him throughout the campaign.

Last season was the year of the screamer for Aston Villa, scoring 13 goals from outside of the box in the Premier League alone and Rogers was one of the main perpetrators.

There was a period during Villa’s stunning winning streak earlier in the campaign, where it felt that Rogers scored from outside the box every week, personified by his match-winning performance against Manchester United, which saw him score two sublime goals to secure a 2-1 win against the run of play.

Symptomatic of his exceptional performances throughout the campaign, Rogers played a starring role in the Villans ending their 30-year trophy drought – by winning the UEFA Europa League – registering five direct goal contributions in the last four matches of the competition.

These big game appearances continued into the final, with the 23-year-old lofting a sumptuous ball into the box for Tielemans to volley home the opener, before showing a striker’s movement to tap in the third and secure the trophy.

This goal leads nicely onto arguably the most important reason for Rogers to start at the World Cup, Harry Kane.

Much is made at every tournament about Kane’s tendency to drop deep into midfield – rather than lead the line in the traditional sense – which can create issues for attacking midfielders like Jude Bellingham.

Rogers offers something different. As he has shown in his time with the Villans, despite being a player who enjoys the ball at his feet, the Manchester City academy graduate is not afraid to go away from the ball and run in behind.

His inclusion would allow Kane to drop in deep, without England losing their focal point in attack.

All of this is before even mentioning Bellingham’s form this season.

Injury problems have largely curtailed the Real Madrid man’s campaign, though he has still made 40 appearances in all competitions.

His output dropped considerably over the course of last season, as the former Birmingham City academy player failed to live up to his standards from a couple of years ago.

Most arguments for Jude’s inclusion centre around the reputation that he has built for himself, being widely regarded as among the most talented players that England have to offer. This alone isn’t enough.

Rogers is bang in form, fresh off a trophy win and better suited to the England system under Tuchel, as well as a natural fit for his teammates.

Though at times Rogers has had a tendency to still be a bit raw and reckless with the ball, England need to utilise their maverick to lead them to international immortality.