Bellingham imposes himself on Mourinho as numbers reveal his importance to Real Madrid

Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" has noted that Jude Bellingham has become one of the players that José Mourinho finds difficult to do without, as the English player continued to receive playing minutes despite struggling with fatigue during the match against Rayo Vallecano.

After the match, Mourinho said: "I describe today's match as a 45-minute game. I knew that the team did not have the strength, neither physically nor mentally, to continue in the second half in the same way. A player like Bellingham played the last ten minutes without any energy."

Despite this, the coach did not substitute Bellingham, who excels in covering spaces, pressing, regaining possession, and reaching the penalty area, which are his main strengths within the Real Madrid system.

Jude Bellingham's third goal against Rayo Vallecano was a prime example of this, as Vinícius burst down the left flank, found the English player inside the penalty area, and passed him the ball to score another goal.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Mourinho also refused to move Bellingham back to midfield against Inter, despite the absences of Arda Güler, Eduardo Camavinga, and Bernardo Silva due to suspension. Instead, he preferred to deploy Alexander Arnold in midfield, reflecting his desire to keep the Englishman close to goal.

Jude Bellingham has scored three goals and provided two assists in six matches, while participating in 515 minutes out of a possible 540 minutes for Real Madrid. He started all matches as a starter and played 270 consecutive minutes against Real Betis, Inter, and Rayo.

The newspaper sees that Bellingham has reintroduced himself as a player who reaches the penalty area, scores, and impacts matches, but his continued brilliance presents Mourinho with another challenge: finding the right way to give him a rest.