Thomas Tuchel has made his feelings about Jude Bellingham pretty clear, and he hasn't needed to say a single word to do it. Handing the Real Madrid man the England No 10 shirt ahead of the World Cup is as loud a statement as you can make without holding a press conference. That shirt carries weight. It means something. And giving it to Bellingham tells the whole squad, and the whole country, exactly who Tuchel is building this team around.
England have been training in Florida as they prepare for the tournament, and the warm weather camp is already generating some interesting news beyond just the shirt numbers. Adam Anderson has been given the No 8, which suggests Tuchel has a fairly settled idea of how he wants things to look in the middle of the park. Getting those decisions made early is the kind of thing that helps a squad settle, and England squads have not always been great at settling quickly, to put it diplomatically.
Bellingham, of course, had a bit of a mixed season at club level after his extraordinary first year at the Bernabeu. But anyone writing him off would be making a serious mistake. The lad is still only 21 and has already shown he can perform on the biggest stages in world football. Giving him the armband in terms of shirt number, if not the actual armband, is Tuchel essentially saying he trusts him to be the creative heartbeat of this England side.
The optimist in every England fan will look at this and feel genuinely excited. The realist, hardened by years of tournament heartbreak, will reserve judgement until the actual football is played. Both reactions are completely fair. England have the players to go deep in this World Cup, and Bellingham wearing the 10 gives them a focal point that most nations would love to have.
Tuchel looks like a manager who knows his own mind, and so far that confidence seems to be rubbing off. Whether it translates to results on the pitch is the only thing that really matters. Let me know your thoughts.