Jobe Bellingham gets Carsley backing

File photo dated 13-10-2025 of England's Jobe Bellingham. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.

Jude Bellingham's England place might be the subject of debate but his little brother Jobe will once again be captain when the Under-21s face the Republic of Ireland on Friday night.

The younger Bellingham has endured a tough start to the season at Borussia Dortmund, amid reports his father Mark is unhappy with his son's lack of minutes and has made his feelings clear.

But Young Lions boss Lee Carsley has no doubt about the 20-year-old's focus ahead of England's latest Euro 2027 qualifier at St Andrew's.

"He's got really good leadership qualities and is a brilliant example on and off the pitch to the rest of the players," said Carsley.

"He's a player I've known for a long time. Jobe's got the armband but we have three or four players who are more than capable of leading.

"But Jobe has really grown into that role and he's a player I love working with.

"We talk about a lot of things. One thing I can control is how much they play with us. That's the focus from me.

"In the games he's been available to us he's been very good. He's made a very strong start to this campaign.

"It's important young players develop at their own pace and he's going in the right direction."

Carlsey's counterpart Jim Crawford recently admitted Ireland monitored Jobe's interest in switching allegiance via his father's Irish background, but Bellingham was not interested.

“Word came back fairly quickly, within a couple of days in fact, to say he was happy to stick with England.”

Newcastle's Lewis Hall is part of the England squad, even if Carsley accepts he's more likely to be with Thomas Tuchel's seniors once he puts injurytdifficulties behind him.

"I think it's fair to say Lewis is more on the senior radar than the 21s. The way he's played for Newcastle when he's been fit, he's been very influential for them.

"We've had really good communication between ourselves and Newcastle in terms of the expectations from Lewis.

"It's important we're mindful of his minutes and we try to send him back to Newcastle hopefully in a better position than when he came away, in terms of the intensity he's trained and played at."

A longer term England prospect is Arsenal's 15-year-old wonder-kid Max Dowman, who Carsley suggests may soon feature at this age grade.

"The Under-19s are playing qualifiers in this camp and it's important Max gets experience with them," added Carsley.

"He's a player we are monitoring. Sometimes with that talent we just have to accelerate it quickly because of the challenge they are getting at their clubs.

"It's important we bear in mind how young Max is. We get all the feedback from the camps he is in and there's definitely time, and he'll definitely get his chance with the 21s. The timing has got to be right."