Jude Bellingham has got Liverpool supporters excited on social media after posting a message on Jordan Henderson's Instagram page.
The Liverpool captain spent Friday afternoon soaking up the sun as he celebrated his 32nd birthday, before taking to Instagram to thank those who had sent him well wishes.
"Thanks for all the birthday messages," posted the midfielder to his 4.9m followers. That prompted responses from familiar faces within the game, with former Reds captain Steven Gerrard, Luis Garcia, Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice all sending birthday messages to the Liverpool captain.
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However, it was a comment left by Borussia Dortmund midfielder, and Henderson's England teammate, Bellingham that was picked up by numerous Reds fans.
The 18-year-old commented, "some guy" followed by a love heart emoji, which received over 760 likes and 52 comments, mostly by Liverpool supporters.
Instagram user Aaron.noonan replied: "Welcome to Liverpool...confirmed, here we go." Hleavittx added: "See you next year." While user J._wellbad added: "pack your bags and get to Merseyside kid."
The former Birmingham City scholar, who joined the Bundesliga side in 2020, has been constantly linked with a move to Anfield in recent months, with ECHO reporting that Jurgen Klopp and others at the club are big fans of Bellingham. However, it seems any potential interest would have to wait until the summer of 2023, pending a dramatic change of circumstances from the German club, who were recently dispossessed of star striker Erling Haaland.
But it has been clear Henderson has taken Bellingham under his wing during their time playing for England over the last year. So much so that ahead of last summer's European Championships when Bellingham was handed the number 8 shirt during Henderson's absence, the youngster was quick to single out his senior counterpart after the game.
"It was a dream come true," he said after being handed such an iconic number on his England kit in June 2021. "Especially to get it from Hendo, who has been such a big part of the team."
And those compliments have been returned by Henderson, who waxed lyrical about the midfielder and his performances earlier this year.
"I don’t like speaking too highly of players, especially when they’re such a young age because everybody else seems to do that pretty quickly. But I’ve been very impressed," Henderson told Sportbible . "I like the way he plays. I like his personality, which is the most important thing. 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. When I watch him, he plays with such maturity even now. The sky is the limit for him really."
Henderson added: "He’s still very young, he’s doing so well at Dortmund [and] he’s done well whenever he’s played for England. For me, let’s just let him play football. Let him enjoy it because he is such a special talent.
"Yes, he’s got leadership qualities for sure but there’s no need to put that pressure on him right now. Let him grow into the person that he can be on his own. He’s got his feet firmly on the ground [and] has such maturity for a young player.
"I know in my own mind that he’s going to be a top player."
It remains to be seen where Bellingham will end up if he decides to leave Borussia Dortmund next summer, a decision that would most likely put all of Europe's top clubs on red-hot alert. And Henderson's close relationship with the midfielder could be priceless if the Reds are to try and pursue a deal.
