Jude Bellingham could be sidelined for up to four England matches after finally having surgery to address a persistent shoulder problem.

The 22-year-old Real Madrid ace will miss the beginning of the new season following his operation in London on Wednesday.

The news is a blow for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who sensationally left Liverpool earlier this summer to play for Madrid at the Club World Cup and become teammates with Bellingham, his close friend.

Alexander-Arnold will now need to start his first full season in Madrid without Bellingham alongside him.

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Thomas Tuchel's players have World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September, which Bellingham is set to miss.

Depending on his recovery, he may also be absent for matches against Wales and Latvia in the following month.

News broke in May that Bellingham would undergo shoulder surgery after participating in the Club World Cup for Real Madrid.

Los Blancos confirmed yesterday that the midfield wizard's surgery was completed, although they refrained from specifying how long they expect the former Borussia Dortmund star to be out of action.



Alexander-Arnold and Bellingham played alongside each other at the Club World Cup

Bellingham featured in all six of Real's matches at the tournament.

Bellingham has been plagued with problems ever since he dislocated his left shoulder in a La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano back in November 2023.

Last month, before the Club World Cup kicked off in the United States, Bellingham opened up to journalists about his impending surgery.

He said: "I've gotten to the point where the pain isn't so bad