Gareth Southgate explains advantage Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips has over Jude Bellingham

Speaking after a comfortable 3-0 Wembley win over Ivory Coast, in which 18-year-old Bellingham shone in what Southgate described as an ‘eight’ position with the pressing responsibilities of a ‘10.’

The midfield was anchored, in Phillips’ absence, by Declan Rice and James Ward-Prowse, with Bellingham further forward and both Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish providing width.

Out of possession Bellingham joined lone striker Ollie Watkins to put the visiting defence under pressure but Southgate does not see the teenager’s future in behind the front line.

“He was a left eight with the ball and pressing as a 10, he went and joined Ollie and the two of them pressed together,” said Southgate.

“A 10 is going to be more capable of back to goal receiving, finding the little pockets which is not quite going to be his absolute strength in the end but he has got great attacking attributes as a foraging eight, which is sort of where he plays for his club on the left of a diamond or as one of the eights in a 4-3-3.

“He pressed as a 10 but he wasn’t playing as a 10 and he won’t be a 10, he’ll be a really powerful attacking eight with the ability to get forward and link as he did tonight.”

Phillips missed a pair of England games earlier in the season with a calf problem and had not fully recovered his fitness following a hamstring tear and subsequent surgery, when this international break rolled around.

He was England’s 2020/21 Player of the Year and a pivotal part of their run to the Euro 2020 final, however, so will remain high up Southgate’s pecking order as long as he can return to club action and prove he’s the same player.

Competition for places in Southgate’s squad for the World Cup later this year will be fierce but if Phillips is to face a challenge for his spot next to Rice, it isn’t likely to come from Bellingham, just yet.

“[Bellingham] might end up being able to play one deeper as well but at the moment he’s young and he wants to go and press and that takes him out of the defensive positions a little bit too early so you have to give him his head,” said Southgate.

“It’s like Conor Gallagher, they want to go and press and so they’re not at the moment going to have the stability to play deeper as one of double pivot. You could do it in a 4-3-3 if you were letting one of them go earlier but the likes of Rice, Henderson and Phillips have got that tactical awareness that is going to be important in those positions.”

Bellingham undoubtedly has a huge future ahead of him, at both club and international level, and Southgate is relishing the chance to work with such prodigious talent.

“What you saw tonight is the fabulous attributes he’s got, that ability to drive forward with the ball.

“He looks like he’s going to be a threat on goal and he will regain balls. We’ve been talking to him about the moments to go and maybe not go and at times he goes too early when he’s never going to get there and gets picked off. As he gets older he will run about 1.5km less and be more effective and efficient with his defending, that’s part of the learning.

“He’s fabulous to work with. I’m loath to go over the top because we go so far over the top with our young players that it doesn’t help them but he is a super-attacking talent.”