With the 2026 World Cup fast approaching, the pressure is on Jude Bellingham to prove he’s still the man to anchor England’s attack.
The 22-year-old firmly established himself as one of the leading lights of the game two years ago upon first joining Los Blancos, registering 23 goals and 13 assists across all competitions to help them lift a La Liga and Champions League double — as well as the Supercopa de España.
To say he’s been poor since then would be incredibly harsh. After all, in the last season-and-a-half combined, Bellingham has still notched 21 goals and 19 assists across all competitions, which is a fantastic rate for a midfielder.
Nevertheless, there has been a drop-off, with Bellingham not quite kicking on in the stellar, Ballon d’Or-contending way we all expected.
All of that has applied pressure to his starting spot for England, which would have been unquestioned following his exploits in the Three Lions’ run to the Euro 2024 final.
More recently, Thomas Tuchel has preferred Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers in the No.10 role, while the likes of Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White will all feel like they have a reasonable claim to the position.
Here, we’ve ranked each of those options by their Squawka Score.
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1. Phil Foden
- Team: Manchester City
- Squawka Score: 66%
Phil Foden is leading the way right now, with seven goals and three assists to his name in the Premier League this season — a record extending to 13 goals and six assists across all competitions. That’s already one more direct goal involvement than he managed in league play in 2024/25.
The problem for Foden is that his Squawka Score is falling due to his best form coming during late 2025. The Manchester City man hasn’t scored a goal in any competition since 14th December in an 18-game drought that’s seen him dropped in and out of the starting line-up. And his only goal involvement during that time was an assist in a 3-0 Premier League win over Fulham in mid-February.
Foden is still first among Man City players in the Premier League for chances created (44) and crosses completed (33), and second for shots (51) and shots on target (17). But considering Foden hasn’t started a game for England since March last year, has sat out 10 of their last 16 matches, and has often underwhelmed for the Three Lions anyway, he has serious work to do to maintain his place at the top of these rankings.
2. Morgan Rogers
- Team: Aston Villa
- Squawka Score: 64%
Morgan Rogers has been the No.10 of choice for Tuchel so far, playing in all 10 of the German’s games in charge so far and starting in six of them.
The 23-year-old is in the midst of a mini-drought right now, but is enjoying another stellar season overall, registering eight goals and five assists in 29 Premier League appearances and 10 goals and seven assists in all competitions.
Rogers is comfortably first among Villa players in the Premier League this season for chances created (35) and take-ons completed (32), offering drive, dynamism, unpredictability and genuine quality in the final third.
At international level, he scored his first goal in a friendly against Wales in October, off the back of his first assist in that impressive 5-0 win in Serbia. That game alone saw him create five chances and two big chances.
It feels like Rogers’ shirt to lose.
3. Eberechi Eze
- Team: Arsenal
- Squawka Score: 62%
If England could play Tottenham at the World Cup, Eberechi Eze would be the unquestioned starter. The 27-year-old has scored six Premier League goals since joining Arsenal, with five of them coming against their North London rivals, and the other against his former club, Crystal Palace.
That’s not to say Eze has been poor otherwise for the Gunners. Indeed, he’s third among his teammates in the Premier League for completed dribbles (20) and joint-first for through balls completed (5).
However, he’s been in and out of the starting line-up at the Emirates Stadium, and while he’ll surely make the squad for the World Cup, he might fall victim to the fact that he can play equally effectively as a winger and a No.10, without being first choice in either position.
4. Jude Bellingham
- Team: Real Madrid
- Squawka Score: 60%
Jude Bellingham being fourth in this ranking highlights the task he has ahead of him.
As mentioned, his seven goals and five assists overall this season — four and three, respectively, in La Liga — are not a bad return for a midfielder. They’re just a drop-off from the standard he’s set for himself.
What’s more, Bellingham hasn’t played a game since the start of February due to a hamstring injury, and isn’t expected back until the Madrid derby on 22nd March. That’s the last game before the international break, and given his lack of interest in favouritism, you have to wonder if Tuchel will include Bellingham in his next squad.
If he’s fit, you have to think that Bellingham will make the World Cup squad. The question comes down to whether or not he’ll have done enough between now and then to convince Tuchel he’s the guy to try and lead England to glory.
5. Cole Palmer
- Team: Chelsea
- Squawka Score: 60%
Level with Bellingham is Cole Palmer, who is arguably the biggest enigma in the England squad right now. His raw data is incredible, with 46 goals and 20 assists to his name in the Premier League alone since joining Chelsea two-and-a-half years ago — and you can extend that record to 53 goals and 32 assists across all competitions.
However, the elephant in the room is that 18 of those 46 Premier League goals were penalties, while spot-kick opportunities account for 36.82% of his total xG in the top-flight during his time as a Chelsea player.
Of course, to stereotype Palmer as a penalty merchant would be extremely unfair. He’s been Chelsea’s best player since joining the club and their most effective attacking force by a great distance — sitting first among his teammates in pretty much every metric you can think of, with only Enzo Fernandez really able to hold a candle to him.
And then there’s the small matter that Palmer scored the equalising goal as England eventually went down 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. He’s one of just two English players to score in a Euros final, and one of just four men to net in any major final for the Three Lions.
Injuries have kept Palmer out of almost every Tuchel line-up so far, but given the form he’s been in for Chelsea recently, you can bet the boss will be desperate to try him out.
6. Morgan Gibbs-White
- Team: Nottingham Forest
- Squawka Score: 51%
It wasn’t that long ago that Morgan Gibbs-White was making his own very serious claim to be England’s starting attacking midfielder.
However, moves to Manchester City and Tottenham never transpired over the summer, and he’s been part of a Nottingham Forest side struggling at the wrong end of the table.
That said, it’s had little effect on his own performances, with Gibbs-White notching 10 goals and five assists in all competitions this term, including eight goals and two assists in the Premier League.
Gibbs-White’s lower Squawka Score comes from the fact that he’s creating fewer big chances (0.11), completing fewer take-ons (0.76) and hitting fewer shots on target (0.76) per 90 minutes than his peers. But that can be easily explained by the fact that he’s playing on a far less dominant team than said peers.
Gibbs-White is an effective attacking midfield force, but can he do enough in a relegation battle to prove to Tuchel he’s worthy of his spot?
How do Squawka ratings work?
Squawka’s new player rating system is completely stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.
Using extensive research and our expertise, we tailored each score to the players’ respective positions. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes and so on.