Young maestro is destined for superstar status, says Keane

JUDE BELLINGHAM was hailed as ‘magic’ and a potential ‘superstar’ by Roy Keane after he ran the midfield against Senegal and led England into the World Cup quarter-finals. The 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder became the youngest Englishman to play in a World Cup knockout match since Michael Owen scored against Argentina in the 1998 last16, and justified his selection from the off. Bellingham set up the opener for Jordan Henderson — 13 years his senior — on 38 minutes. He then broke the game wide open for Gareth Southgate’s team on the stroke of half-time with a lung-busting run before passing to Phil Foden, who set up Harry Kane to make it 2-0. In the ITV studio, Keane led the praise for Bellingham. ‘When it’s a bit tight, you need a midfielder to run and produce a bit of magic,’ said Keane, ‘and that’s what Bellingham did there. ‘It’s brilliant. This is what you want from a midfielder: powerful, strong, anticipation. He gets a little bit of luck (with a ricochet for the second goal) but it’s game over. He’s going to be a superstar that kid. We keep using the word, but maturity. He plays like he’s played 100 times for England.’

Fellow ITV pundit Gary Neville, who played for England at five major tournaments, also showered Bellingham with praise. ‘He’s been absolutely incredible in that half,’ said Neville. ‘In the first ten to 15 minutes, he was the one closing people down. A brilliant performance. He’s so young but he’s got real quality and the composure he showed in that last third has been absolutely fantastic. ‘Credit to the manager. He’s making qualifying for the latter stages of tournaments look easy.’ Ian Wright, another ITV pundit, posted a clip of himself celebrating Henderson’s opener from Bellingham’s assist, alongside the words: ‘Jude “The Truth” Bellingham.’

Sportsmail’s Micah Richards also sang Bellingham’s praises. ‘He’s 19, he’s 19 years of age!’ said Richards. ‘To put in a performance like that is incredible. ‘When the game was flat and Senegal were causing us real problems — just when you need someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck — Bellingham was there, whether it was defending, attacking, passing. ‘I like how aggressive he is as well. He is going up against a strong and fast Senegalese team. ‘What a performance it was. His decision-making as well, at such a young age. It’s breathtaking.’