Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been talking up the talents of his young England teammate Jude Bellingham.
Speaking to SPORTbible, Henderson said that despite Bellingham being just eighteen, he has been impressed with the way he conducts himself.
“I like the way he plays. I like his personality, which is the most important thing,” said the 31-year-old. “I like the way he conducts himself. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him.”
“He’s a great lad, a fantastic player and I’m sure he’ll go from strength to strength as he gets older and matures.”
Liverpool have long been linked with a move to sign Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. Last December The Mirror claimed that The Reds were ‘leading the race’ to sign the midfielder.
And judging from Henderson’s comments here, the skipper would be fully behind a move.
“He’s still very young, he’s doing so well at Dortmund (and) he’s done well whenever he’s played for England,” said Hendo. “For me, let’s just let him play football. Let him enjoy it because he is such a special talent. I know in my own mind that he’s going to be a top player.”
A perfect mentor
Judging from the interactions we have seen, such as Henderson’s playful teasing of Bellingham yesterday, we can see that Jordan has taken Jude under his wing.
In terms of their on the pitch roles, this makes sense. Although Bellingham isn’t maybe quite as marauding as Henderson, they do have similar characterisitics.
Hendo is a central-midfielder who has almost 400 Premier League appearances, 69 England caps and has won some of the biggest trophies in football. As captain, no less.
There could hardly be a more perfect role-model for a young English centre-midfielder.
Off the pitch, Henderson is arguably an even better person to look up than on it. He has had to work hard for everything he has achieved in football, proving doubters wrong every step of the way.
The Liverpool number 14 is a consummate professional who looks after himself in the best way possible.
Bellingham is potentially a player of even better ability than Henderson. If the 18-year-old can match his older teammate’s example away from the pitch, then he’s going straight to the top.
Liverpool fans will certainly be hoping that Bellingham is minded to follow Henderson’s lead and join Liverpool as a young player.
Klopp is reportedly personally invested in bringing Bellingham to Anfield. Liverpool fans will hope that coupled with being able to learn from Henderson at even closer quarters, this will be enough to persuade Jude to join The Reds.
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