Scoring four goals this season and assisting once, Jude Bellingham has become a man reborn since joining Real Madrid with Carlo Ancelotti playing him in a more attacking position.

With striker concerns at the Bernabeu with Vinicius Jr sidelined now through injury and a gaping hole sill present up front after Karim Benzema swapped Spain for Saudi Arabia, Bellingham is stepping forward as the surprise goal-scorer and saviour.

Still only 20 years of age, Bellingham has fit straight into a Real Madrid side that is succeeding when harnessing all their young talent.

Now, it’s fresh and exciting young talent leading the way.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham has made a stunning start to life at Real Madrid 

Jude Bellingham is the poster boy for this approach, winning over a notoriously fussy fanbase in Real Madrid with exceptional displays.

Tactically, Real Madrid have allowed Bellingham more freedom on the pitch.

It’s a freedom that wasn’t always afforded to the 20-year-old at both Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham City, the German giants and the Blues often playing Jude in a more reserved central midfield role.

Bellingham did show off his ability to score goals at Dortmund, netting 24 times in 132 appearances in Germany, but he very rarely was pushed further forward to an attacking midfield role – only featuring three times in that role over three years at his former employers.

Under Ancelotti’s management however, Bellingham is excelling in that attacking midfield slot, playing just behind the deadly duo of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo to add more goals and assists to his game.

Carlo Ancelotti (left) has handed Bellingham a more attacking role attacking role in Madrid 

All his starts for Real so far have seen him played in an advanced role, the switch in position working wonders for the 20-year-old at his new club.

Bellingham would score Real’s second goal versus Athletic Bilbao on his debut, a dream start for the former Birmingham prodigy.

Hitting it in first time after a corner found its way to him, his effort looped over the Bilbao keeper to extend Real’s lead on the day to 2-0.

Rodrygo would score the other goal for Ancelotti’s men in this one, Bellingham and Rodrygo key parts of the jigsaw under the Italian head coach alongside the obvious talent of Vinicius Jr.

Bellingham truly looked like a man possessed in the next La Liga clash after Real’s 2-0 victory in Bilbao, contributing with two goals and an assist as Real ran rampant versus Almeria to win 3-1.

Read Related Also: How to watch Scotland vs England TONIGHT… as Gareth Southgate’s side look to bounce back from Saturday’s draw against Ukraine with a win over their historic rivals

Going 1-0 down after a matter of minutes in Almeria was a shock to the system for the Spanish giants, but Bellingham led from the front and controlled the trajectory of match from then on in.

Ancelotti’s decision to unleash Bellingham’s attacking qualities further has been a revelation, the 20-year-old growing into a goal-scoring machine.

His first goal at Almeria to get his side back into the La Liga clash was a result of instinctive, striker-like finishing – gambling on a stray header finding its way to his feet, to then finish off the chance.

Bellingham’s second goal of the game to make it 2-1 again showed the 20-year-old’s new-found knack for finishing opportunities, on the end of a cross into the box to power a header home at the expense of the onrushing goalkeeper.

The midfielder’s late winner against Celta Vigo was his fourth goal in his first three games 

The game-clinching third of the match was the most stylish and audacious of the evening, quick build-up play involving several Madrid shirts then saw Vinicius Jr receive the ball from Bellingham.

Dinking the ball over the helpless Almeria goalkeeper, Vinicius Jr celebrated with a smile on his face shared by all the Real players.

It’s very clear that all the Real Madrid players are enjoying their football at this moment in time, Bellingham’s grin the widest.

He’ll be beaming from ear to ear with the development that he could be played even further forward under Ancelotti, a measure the Italian head coach might well have to make with a lack of out and out strikers at his disposal.

Bellingham’s late winner against Celta Vigo would make you think that he’s playing up top already for Los Blancos, holding off intense marking from the opposition defender to power home a late header to win the contest 1-0.

Bellingham has quickly won over the Madrid fans, who are notoriously hard to please 

They’ll need Bellingham to continue in this rich vein of form, striker issues at the Bernabeu now mean he’s the man Madrid will need to rely upon.

Joselu, who signed for Real Madrid on loan in the summer, is now the only recognised striking option with Ancelotti already moulding the likes of Rodrygo and Vinicus Jr away from wingers into centre forwards.

With Vinicius Jr out, and the only other option an ageing 33-year-old loanee, Bellingham could well be learning another new position soon.

Ancelotti’s latest experiment with Bellingham has unlocked a side to Jude’s game we hadn’t yet seen, a clinical and cool finisher of chances under pressure.

If he carries on at his current rate, he could well permanently be Real Madrid’s star-man in a de-facto striker role as he continues to expand his game.