Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GARETH’S BELL
Jude is fast becoming England’s talisman, owning the pitch from box-to-box... and delighted Southgate says: He’s fearless and his evolution for us has been ideal
JUDE BELLINGHAM has grown into the complete box-to-box midfielder.
The teenager has got the world at his feet and has already underlined his huge potential on the biggest stage.
He has added goals to his game, has gained big-match experience and yet one of his greatest qualities was already built in.
Gareth Southgate reckons Bellingham is naturally “fearless” and, despite being just 19, is never intimidated or overawed on the pitch – even against the toughest and best opponents.
The England boss (above) spoke to the squad about being fearless before the tournament, but did not need to worry about the youngest member of the squad.
Former Birmingham City prodigy Bellingham played against Iran in the opening Group B match as if he owned the pitch, running the game, spraying passes and dominating midfield, showing a maturity way beyond his tender years.
It is the reason why he is the hottest midfield property in Europe, with Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City all keen on signing him if Borussia Dortmund decide to sell next summer.
Bellingham was a part of the Euros squad last year, but is now a starter at the World Cup – and is revelling in it.
Southgate said: “We’ve talked about that all week as a team.
“That’s the approach we wanted to have, he’s got that anyway, he’s got that naturally and
I think his evolution with us has been ideal for this tournament.
“He had the Euros with us, got a feel of it, he sort of dipped his toes. He’s in good form with his club.
“He has added goals this season with his club and to have that additional runner from midfield is a great asset for us.
“He is such a mature boy on and off the pitch and the way he also was in the right position to break the game up at the right time as well, so, look, we’re really pleased with him and it’s a really nice start for him as well.”
Bellingham scored against the Iranians, but also dovetailed brilliantly with midfield partner Declan Rice as they took it in turns to protect the back four and also bomb forward to launch attacks. shows his game intelligence for such a young player.
Southgate said: “I think he and Declan, their responsibility was to track the runners from midfield, at the right times, and they did that well.
“I thought both of them played with a lot of maturity, they were stable in the game.
“I think our two centre-backs controlled position of the game really well, they gave us that platform to build, I liked the movement of the team and the way that we played through their pressure, which was good – but we did have that threat in behind and that was important.”
That spine of the team has given England a foundation for success. But Bellingham is also showing excellence as, in the first half, his pass completion rate was 100 percent with 40 passes. That is a phenomenal stat, but shows his quality and what he has gained from playing week in and week out from the Champions League.
His decision to move to Germany is paying rich rewards because he has been given game time, the platform for his ability to blossom. Dortmund are brilliant at developing young players, which is emphasised by Erling Haaland’s progression.
As soon as Bellingham shone in Qatar, Dortmund took to social media to congratulate him and the respect there is huge. If he does leave, it will clearly be a tough decision because of what they have given him – and England. Southgate now possesses one of the – and arguably THE most – exciting teenager at the tournament and he has given England an extra energy and impetus for this World Cup.