Jude Bellingham 'will be Real Madrid's No 10' next season'

Jude Bellingham ‘will be Real Madrid’s No 10’ next season – with Carlo Ancelotti ‘set to reshape his side around their new £113m man’

• Carlo Ancelotti is set to change Real Madrid from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 next season
• The boss plans to deploy his new £113m man Jude Bellingham in the No 10 role
• Bellingham will sport the No 5 jersey – which was once worn by Zinedine Zidane 

Carlo Ancelotti is planning to change his tactical system next season and deploy Jude Bellingham as Real Madrid’s new No 10, according to reports in Spain.

The England international completed his stunning £113million move to the Bernabeu earlier this month, leaving Borussia Dortmund after three fruitful seasons in the Bundesliga.

Real Madrid, who missed out on the LaLiga title to Barcelona and fell to Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals last season, identified Bellingham as their priority transfer target ahead of the summer, fending off interest from Premier League outfits such as Liverpool.

Despite handing the 20-year-old their No 5 jersey, the kit once sported by legendary Los Blancos midfielder Zinedine Zidane, Ancelotti reportedly wants Bellingham to operate in the No 10 role next campaign.

Madrid have enjoyed much of their success over the last decade with a 4-3-3 formation, winning trophies with a midfield core of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro before the latter’s move to Manchester United last summer.

Real Madrid’s new £113m signing Jude Bellingham is ‘set to play the No 10 role next campaign’

Carlo Ancelotti plans to switch to a 4-2-3-1 shape to make Bellingham an advanced midfielder

Ancelotti was still well-stocked in the engine room last season despite the Brazilian’s exit, with Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni partnering the veterans in midfield, but it seems Bellingham’s arrival is set to change Madrid’s dynamic in the centre of the park.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Ancelotti plans to deploy Bellingham in an advanced No 10 role behind the striker in a new 4-2-3-1 shape.

The formation switch would see the likes of Modric, Kroos and Valverde take on more defensive responsibilities in the team, tasked with protecting the English superstar in a double pivot.

Ancelotti hopes that Bellingham’s presence in the front four will help Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo prosper more in front of goal, seeing as free-scoring Bernabeu legend Karim Benzema has left the club after completing his tax free £86m-per-year move to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad.

Real Madrid have won a glut of trophies over the last decade with a 4-3-3 formation, profiting in particular with a midfield trio of Toni Kroos (left), Casemiro (middle) and Luka Modric (right)

The 20-year-old youngster was Borussia Dortmund’s top scorer last season, netting 14 goals

Bellingham netted 14 times and provided seven assists for Borussia Dortmund last term, spearheading the German outfit during their pursuit of the Bundesliga title.

Dortmund narrowly missed out on domestic glory on the final day of the season, drawing 2-2 with Mainz to hand Bayern Munich their 11th successive Bundesliga crown.

During the dramatic last game of the season, Bellingham was forced to watch on from the bench due to a knee injury. 

Despite the end-of-season heartbreak, the youngster ended the campaign as Dortmund’s highest scorer, while boasting the record for the most successful dribbles across Europe’s top five leagues among midfielders.

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