Terry Butcher sends Jude Bellingham warning and pinpoints worrying trend for England

Bellingham was the difference on England’s opening night (Picture: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jude Bellingham sparkled on the big stage as he dragged England to victory over Serbia in their Euro 2024 opener. But former Three Lions captain Terry Butcher believes their rivals this summer will now have a clear objective in mind – stop Bellingham and you stop England.

Gareth Southgate’s side took control early on in their group opener on Sunday night with Bellingham opening the scoring with a superb header after 13 minutes.

The Real Madrid star, who won La Liga and the Champions League in his first season in Spain, was at the heart of everything England did well, playing with the right combination of aggression and precision in what was an all-action performance. But as the evening wore on, England’s grip on the contest loosened with Serbia posing problems in a nervy conclusion to the contest.

On a night where Bellingham shone, Phil Foden struggled to impose himself. Bukayo Saka enjoyed a fine first-half but was shackled in the second period. Harry Kane, while unlucky not to score late on, had just two touches of the ball in the first-half.

Butcher, who won 77 caps for England and represented his country in three World Cups, saw plenty of promise early on during Sunday’s game in Gelsenkirchen with Bellingham taking centre stage.

But as the competition wears on, the former defender insists his teammates must step up to ease the burden.

‘He was so impressive,’ Butcher told Metro.co.uk, courtesy of Free Bets. ‘Especially given the way he settled back into the England team considering he didn’t play in the friendlies leading into the competition. He has had a stellar season and seems to get better and better.

Foden struggled to impose himself on the game (Picture: Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

‘My only concern is international teams now look at him and think, if you can stop Jude Bellingham, you can stop England. The others, Foden, Saka, Kane and others need to step up but they have the ability to do that.’

Victory leaves England in control of Group C ahead of their clash with Denmark on Thursday night, but the manner in which they ceded control on Sunday will have concerned Southgate who admitted his side ‘ran out of energy’ in the second-half.

That display and the sight of England retreating may have stirred some unwanted memories.

In their last European Championship campaign three years ago, England took the lead early on in their Wembley final against Italy before the Azzurri wrestled control of possession, wearing the hosts down before winning on penalties.

Southgate could have some big decisions to make (Picture: Getty Images)

It was a similar story in the 2018 World Cup semi-final with Croatia, losing momentum in the second period to lose the game.

Butcher believes there were signs of that ‘common theme’ still lingering against Serbia, urging the current Three Lions side to play with more authority in their coming group games to ensure there isn’t more heartbreak this summer.

‘The goal gave them a great platform but they never went into assert themselves,’ Butcher said.

‘We saw Germany do that against Scotland, Spain do that against Croatia. They got the goals. We needed another one to calm nerves. Serbia had to come into the game at some point but we allowed them to do that and lost control of the game from about 35 minutes on. We never got it back. To only have five shots in 90 minutes is disappointing.

Bellingham key to England’s fortunes (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

‘I want England to be brilliant, that’s what we all want. But sometimes you have to grind a match out, especially against teams like Serbia who have a good shape, pass the ball well and have a good manager.

‘Those half chances didn’t come and we were only 1-0 up… there is a bit of a common theme when you look at 2018 and the last Euros. England went ahead early on but didn’t really attack after that and sat back.

‘I could see elements of that last night and it does concern me. But they should learn from this. Gareth will be concerned that control wasn’t there in the second half. But it is important to get the first win out of the way. You can feel the momentum building after that.

‘They won’t be under pressure against Denmark on Thursday but they will know if they win that game, they will be top of the group and going through. But this England team, with the tournament football it has played the last few years, they have the experience to know how to handle it.’