James' patience tested by 'so stupid' Bellingham as Chelsea star mentors teenage midfielder - Goal.com

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James' patience tested by 'so stupid' Bellingham as Chelsea star mentors teenage midfielder | Goal.com

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12:21Jun 21, 2021

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The England defender has joked that he is having to resist an urge to lash out at his 17-year-old team-mate while on Euro 2020 duty

Reece James has joked that his patience is being tested while on England duty with "so stupid" Jude Bellingham, with a man acting as mentor for the 17-year-old midfielder having to resist an urge to lash out.

The Chelsea defender, who is only 21 himself, has taken the highly-rated Borussia Dortmund starlet under his wing while chasing down European Championship glory with the Three Lions.

He is, however, starting to question that decision, with Bellingham proving to be a thorn in his side off the field.

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What has been said?

Champions League winner James told England's official YouTube channel of working with Bellingham: "He is very young but a very good footballer, I look after him.

"He is still so young but he has a lot to learn so I try and help him where I can.

"He is always poking me and hitting me, he’s just so stupid and I will turn around and get so close to touching him but I never get around to it."

Living the dream

Bellingham figured off the bench in England's Euro 2020 opener against Croatia, while James was handed a starting berth at right-back in a goalless draw with Scotland.

While that contest did not play out as planned, the Chelsea defender is delighted to have continued a meteoric rise to prominence.

John Stones England Scotland Euro 2020

He said: "It was obviously a moment I dreamed of as a kid growing up, watching England in tournaments growing up, then walking out at Wembley with fans there to play my first game at a major tournament.

"My first tournament, my first game. I was nervous before but, once the game started, I was in the zone and raring to go."

The bigger picture

Plenty of criticism has come England's way on the back of stalemate with the Scots, but James believes supposed faults in the Three Lions' game and Gareth Southgate's tactical plans have been blown out of proportion.

He remains convinced that an exciting squad can achieve big things this summer, with there enough experience in their ranks to counter any supposed dips.

James added: "Everyone says we are such a young team but everyone this season has played a solid amount of minutes, it’s not like we are young players that haven’t played.

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"We have all played a lot, some have won trophies and some have done very well.

"The longer we are here in the competition, the stronger we are going to get as a team."