Jude Bellingham cleared to join up with Gareth Southgate’s England squad

Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham has been cleared to join up with the England squad on Monday.

The 17-year-old has been granted a sporting exemption to Germany’s Covid-19 regulations, meaning he will not be required to go into quarantine when returning to the country after the upcoming internationals.

Gareth Southgate admitted last week there were doubts over whether Bellingham would be able to take his place in the squad given the restrictions, but said he wanted to take the chance as “those rules can change quickly”.

Bellingham’s club team-mate Jadon Sancho would have been in the same situation but the 20-year-old has been ruled out through injury.

Germany’s strict travel regulations had led to a number of Champions League fixtures being moved to neutral venues in recent weeks, with Manchester City and Liverpool playing German opposition in Budapest earlier this month.

England face three World Cup qualifiers in the coming days, with both San Marino and Poland due at Wembley, either side of a trip to Albania.

Bellingham made his England debut in November, appearing as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 friendly win over the Republic of Ireland, becoming England’s third youngest full international in the process.

On Saturday, Bellingham revealed he had been the target of racist abuse on social media, with both Dortmund and the FA issuing statements in support.