Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has lavished praise on reported Liverpool transfer target Jude Bellingham.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the D.C. United manager has claimed the Borussia Dortmund star is ‘going to be a huge player’ for the Three Lions going forward.
“You know what, I played against [Jude] Bellingham when he was at Birmingham, when I was playing for Derby and he actually man-marked me during the game,” Rooney said.
“I think he was about 16, maybe just 17, and what I really liked about him is every time I pass the ball off, he’d leave a stud in on me, and I remember thinking he’s got something about him.
“And just to show the character to go out to Germany and take that league by storm, and that mentality to perform, obviously he’s been captain in quite a few of the games as well.
“He’s going to be a huge player for England.
“Just that mentality, I think he can actually, even though he’s young, he can put some of that character in some of the rest of the squad, in my eyes.”
The 19-year-old, who is Jurgen Klopp’s favoured midfield addition, will join Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson on the plane to Qatar ahead of the World Cup kicking off next week.
Rooney lavishes praise on Bellingham
Currently, Bellingham is probably the most sought-after player in world football.
His electric rise onto the European sphere has been nothing short of astronomical, so it is no surprise to see the biggest clubs in the game queueing up for his signature.
According to The Athletic, Liverpool remain as huge admirers of the 19-year-old, despite Dortmund’s £131m valuation of the youngster.
However, with the World Cup now taking centre-stage, Bellingham is going to be on show for everyone else to see.
Expected to play a much larger part this time around for England, when compared to his cameos at Euro 2020, the BVB man has the opportunity to demonstrate his qualities on the world’s biggest sporting platform.
Therefore, if he does end up exceeding expectations at the tournament, Dortmund will have every right to drive up their asking price even further.
With all eyes on the midfielder, Klopp will be hoping Alexander-Arnold and Henderson can put in a kind word about Liverpool.
Having previously been touted as the favourite in the race to secure his services, the Reds need to do anything they can to keep hold of this status.
Described by journalist Josh Bunting as a ‘sensational footballer’, fans will be keeping a close eye on Bellingham over the coming weeks.
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