Jude Bellingham in Real Madrid squad for Champions League clash

Jude Bellingham has been named in Real Madrid’s 23-man squad for their opening UEFA Champions League game of the season against Marseille on Tuesday.

The England midfielder has been absent since July, when he underwent surgery on a persistent shoulder problem which had troubled him since 2023.

Bellingham returned to training last week, and has now been included by coach Xabi Alonso in the squad for Tuesday’s match at the Bernabéu.

“I want to be a bit optimistic, and hope that [Bellingham] can be back before October,” Alonso said on Friday.

“He’s started to do some things with the group, without contact, because we still have to protect the shoulder. But Jude has made a great effort in his recovery … Let’s see if next week he can take steps forward. We’re waiting for him.”

Bellingham had surgery on his left shoulder on July 16, days after Madrid’s participation in the Club World Cup ended when they were eliminated in the semifinals by Paris Saint-Germain.

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Speaking during the tournament — where he started every game for Madrid — Bellingham said he was “fed up” with discomfort associated with the injury, and wearing protective strapping, saying surgery had “been a long time coming” since first dislocating his shoulder in November 2023.

After the operation, sources told ESPN that Bellingham was expected to be out for between 10 and 12 weeks, which would have meant a return next month, but his recovery is ahead of schedule.

Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was also included in Madrid’s squad, having been unavailable so far this season with an ankle problem.