Adam Lallana is sure Jude Bellingham can emerge as a star of England's World Cup campaign after hearing the 'genuine sense of excitement' with which Jordan Henderson spoke of him.
Bellingham's form at Borussia Dortmund this season has seen him become a shoe-in for Gareth Southgate's midfield, with the 19-year-old scoring nine goals across all competitions including four goals in five Champions League games in which he has captained his side on occasion. Such form has rightly garnered attention from Europe's top clubs, with Liverpool set to battle the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City for arguably the most in-demand player in world football.
The teenager will spend the next six weeks with Reds pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson - the former of which has been spending a lot of time with his potential future teammate - and writing in his column for the Times, Lallana has detailed how excited Henderson was about the Dortmund star when he first joined up with the Three Lions.
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"What will be interesting to see over the coming weeks is how England perform with Jude as a key player," Lallana wrote. "I have no doubts that he can emerge as one of the stars of the World Cup and I have no doubt that Gareth is thinking that he is a player he can trust.
"I haven’t seen anything in his performances that would make you doubt him for a second and I have shown a special interest in Jude since speaking to Jordan Henderson about him a couple of years ago.
"They had trained together with England and I remember Jordan saying to me: “Wait until you see this kid.” Don’t forget Jordan’s international career has overlapped with Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and lots of others. There was a genuine sense of excitement in his voice.
"His reaction was based on Jude’s attitude and application in training, his willingness to listen. I can picture him being a sponge around someone like Hendo during the camp."
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