Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to miss at least the first six weeks of next season while recovering from shoulder surgery, which is scheduled to take place after the Club World Cup.

The 21-year-old has been struggling with a persistent shoulder problem since 2023, and Real Madrid have scheduled the operation to take place once the tournament in the United States is over.

Bellingham has worn strapping on his shoulder while playing for both England and Real Madrid, having initially missed two games for both teams at the end of 2023 after injuring his shoulder in a match against Rayo Vallecano.

The expanded 32-team Club World Cup will take place in the United States between 15 June and 13 July.

Bellingham is expected to miss the entire pre-season and at least the first six weeks of the new campaign. This would also mean his absence from England's World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia in September.

On Friday, England manager Thomas Tuchel will announce his squad for the qualifier against Andorra and the friendly against Senegal in June. Questions remain as to whether players who are due to play in the Club World Cup will be selected.

Bellingham shone in his first season in Spain after signing for £115 million from Borussia Dortmund.

He helped Madrid win the La Liga title and the Champions League, scoring 23 goals in 43 appearances.

However, this season he has scored just 14 goals in 52 games, with Madrid losing the title to Barcelona and being knocked out of Europe in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.