Bellingham says he’s got his smile back as he sends farewell message to Carsley

Jude Bellingham said he 'got his smile back' after helping England win promotion back to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League.

Bellingham has had a difficult start to the season for Real Madrid, scoring just once in his first 13 games for the Spanish champions.

His slow start to the club season came after a summer of heartbreak as Bellingham was part of the England squad that was pipped to Euro 2024 glory by Spain.

However, Bellingham was back on top form on Sunday evening as he produced two assists in England's 5-0 win over Ireland at Wembley.

That match was interim manager Lee Carsley's last game in charge before being replaced by Thomas Tuchel in January.

After the match, Bellingham posted a 25-word farewell message to Carsley on Instagram.

Bellingham's message read: 'Big thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in the last few camps. I have my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful!'

Carsley took control of the Three Lions first team in August when he was temporarily promoted from his role with the Under-21s following the departure of Gareth Southgate.

He oversaw a total of six matches, all in the Nations League, and recorded five wins. Carsley's only negative result was a 2–1 home defeat to Greece in October. However, England made up for that loss by winning 3-0 in Athens on Thursday.

Carsley will now compile a detailed dossier for Tuchel from the six games in charge ahead of talks with the new England boss.

And Carsley believes the young players he has blooded, many of whom he has worked with at Under-21 level, have the talent to make their mark among the Germany squad.

“We talked not only about achieving promotion from the Nations League, but also potentially increasing the pool of players from which Thomas has to choose,” Carsley said after Sunday's match.

'The challenge for the players who have been involved over the last three camps is now to be in and around the March squad. Many of them have done themselves a lot of good in terms of improving their reputation and their ability to play in the England senior team, and gaining a cap is no mean feat. I'm really proud of a lot of them.

“It's a job an elite coach with a track record of winning deserves, and Thomas has that. The bonus would be that we increased the player pool. I'm sure it will be a real challenge to choose the next team. Exciting times ahead.

“It's no gamble with some of these players, they're excellent players, they want to conquer whatever is in front of them and at the Under-21s they had the expectation to win.

'You always learn a lot about yourself when you're in a position you're not used to and the best part is the younger players coming through, many of whom have now seen themselves in an England shirt.'

On his file, Carsley added: “I, along with the rest of the staff, are trying to debrief all three camps.

“I will prepare a document, then hopefully meet with him and present what we think and what we have found. It is our job as U21 staff to support the senior manager.'