Jude Bellingham: England and Real Madrid star tipped for greatness after Croatia thrashing by Roy Keane

The 23-year-old scored one goal and set up three more as England inflicted Croatia's biggest defeat in a 7-0 hammering in front of a reduced crowd in Rijeka in the Nations League.

Bellingham was England's standout player at the World Cup and has become the focal point of Thomas Tuchel's side, registering 13 goal involvements in his last 11 games since the start of the tournament.

Keane heaped praise on Bellingham after the win over Croatia and said it was a complete performance from a player who has become a "huge leader for England".

"There's still a lot more to come from [Bellingham]," Keane said on ITV .

"Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time.

"His attitude for England recently...I have been praising him for being fantastic in possession, but what he is doing out of possession, that lifts all these players.

"If you have a player who is that good in your team, who is amazing in possession and is playing for Real Madrid and doing brilliant things, but his work rate off the ball, that will inspire all the other players."

Keane said England made Croatia, who are ranked 14th in the world, look like a "Gibraltar-type of team".

On England's performance, Keane added: "Everything you would want. A complete performance."

Saka: 'Special' Bellingham deserved man of the match

Bukayo Saka, who scored two goals for Tuchel's side in Croatia, was in full agreement with Keane as he hailed the impact of England's men's player of the year for 2025/26.

"It was an amazing night for us," Saka told ITV . "We played with high energy and spirit and punished them tonight.

"He [Bellingham] was amazing tonight to be fair. He deserved player of the year and he probably deserves man of the match tonight as well. He was special. Happy to play with him and happy to have him in the England team."

Tuchel concurred with one reporter after the game that Bellingham had gone to to the "next level" but warned that "you can never stand still" in football.

Asked if he felt Bellingham had taken a step up in his performances, Tuchel said: "Yes, at the moment it seems like [that] and you always need to.

"The level that you showed last week is never enough in the next week, that's just the nature of football. We adjusted some things, gave the players a lot of responsibility and they are a group to be trusted.

"It was impressive. It was the first time that this group played like this together again and they were very good and the translation from the last two matches, from the training sessions and the meetings into this match was on the highest level."

Kane & Tuchel on England's formidable front four

Tuchel has landed on a formidable front four of Harry Kane and Bellingham flanked either side by Saka and Anthony Gordon.

All four were on the scoresheet against Croatia, who were completely overwhelmed by England's firepower.

Of the front four, captain Kane told ITV : "There's freedom. All four of us are good players, we can play in the 10 pocket, Ant can play as a No 9, B can come in as a No 10, Jude can play as a No 9, I can play as a midfielder.

"It's so hard for the opposition to pick it up. The bottom line is if you lose the ball, we're all smart enough and good enough to cover in midfield or defence.

"That's the way we want to play. For them it was so hard to pick a man and press."

Explaining why the front four were so impressive, England boss Tuchel added: "The support from the full-backs, of course, and then the movements through the last line were on the highest level today.

"They get better and better. That's why I didn't want to change so much from match to match, to get the fluidity going and to get the movements going and to get the automatisms right within the front four but they are very good together at the moment.

"They enjoy playing together and the work rate is on a high level and the counter-press is on a high level so these are complete performances.

"The full-backs keep on pushing and supporting and the midfielders keep on pushing and supporting, so it's always a team effort, but the front four look very dangerous at the moment."

Analysis: Is there a better nation in world football to watch?

Sky Sports News' Rob Dorsett at Stadion HNK Rijeka:

"England sank Croatia without a trace on the Adriatic coast, with the Good Ship Tuchel now full steam ahead after the World Cup supporter mutiny.

"No one could have predicted a performance of this utter dominance against the team ranked 14 in the world.

"England cut through a woeful Croatia midfield and defence at will, like a red hot knife carves through softened butter, and Tuchel's front men had a field day.

"Two goals for Captain Kane with an assist to boot. Two goals for Saka, which will have been a timely confidence boost for the Arsenal man. There was a goal and a hat-trick of assists for the irrepressible Jude Bellingham, alongside a goal and an assist for the equally magnificent Anthony Gordon.

"Croatia were simply blown away, and England could have won by more.

"When England are rampaging all over the pitch like this, wining back possession when they have no right to do so, passing forward at every opportunity and finishing ruthlessly, there is no better team in world football to watch.

"Seven-nil in Rijeka does not flatter them. This was a statement victory, and a marker of what they are capable of."