England manager Gareth Southgate has suggested that Liverpool-linked Jude Bellingham could benefit from joining a Premier League club.
Former Premier League midfielder Craig Hignett claimed last year that Bellingham had been telling people he is Liverpool bound next summer. The Borussia Dortmund star has long been the subject of speculation surrounding his future at the Bundesliga club.
The 18-year-old midfielder is considered one of the hottest prospects in football, having joined BVB from Birmingham City in the summer of 2020. But despite Hignett’s claims, the ECHO understands that while Liverpool have long been admirers of Bellingham, any talk of a move is premature.
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And speaking ahead of England’s game against Ivory Coast at Wembley tonight, Southgate has claimed Bellingham can only go so far at Dortmund. Southgate has also suggested that the midfielder should look to move to the Premier League.
"The league is definitely a brilliant league for young players and coaches to develop but of course the standard of the Premier League is undoubtedly higher, I think we see that in the European competitions,” the England manager said.
"Our top teams are going to be right at the end of the Champions League every year, the financial power of our league is blowing everyone else out of the water so our big teams are going to be the main players in those competitions as they have been in the last years really.
"We've talked to him about his game this week. There are things, understandably for any player, for him to work on and for him some specifics we are looking for from him.
"But he is very coachable, wants to learn and is highly motivated. He is already getting brilliant experiences with club and European football already so he'll be involved in the game and it will be good to see how he does. He is developing exceptionally well for a player of his age. He is being asked to play in a number of different positions this year.
"Dortmund have played 3-4-3 where he has been one of the double pivots, 4-3-3 where he plays as one of the 8s and a diamond where he has played on the outside of a diamond. He has different tactical challenges to deal with. The team have been a bit inconsistent."
