England manager Thomas Tuchel has apologised for comments he made in June in which he described Jude Bellingham’s on-field conduct as “repulsive”.
Tuchel made the remarks after suffering his first defeat in the role as England were stunned 3-1 by Senegal at The City Ground.
The former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich coach said his own mother occasionally finds Bellingham’s behaviour on the pitch as “repulsive”, though he now concedes he should have been more careful with his words.
“I used this word unintentionally, just to make it very clear,” Tuchel told a press conference after announcing his squad for England’s latest World Cup qualifiers with Andorra and Serbia, which Bellingham will miss following surgery on a shoulder injury.
“There was no message. There was no hidden agenda.
“I fully understood and understand that it’s my responsibility that I created these headlines. I am sorry for the upset and I am sorry for the headlines I created.
“I am experienced enough and should’ve known better, I should’ve done better. I thought I had a little more credit with you guys [media] that I do all this in my second language.
“I did it the morning after a loss, with not a lot of sleep, in a live interview, and I used the wrong word. Again, it’s my responsibility.”
Asked if he had called the Real Madrid star in the wake of his comments, Tuchel replied: “”Of course, I made contact straight away with him.
“Jude focuses now on his process in rehabilitation, and we focus on Andorra and Serbia.”
