Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has suggested that Jude Bellingham will be England's best midfielder in history following the impressive start to his international career.
The 19-year-old has featured in every single match for the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with the Borussia Dortmund man registering a goal and an assist. He has played a key role in Gareth Southgate's side reaching the quarter-finals, and starred in the Round of 16 victory over Senegal.
Bellingham is expected to leave the German club next summer and is attracting interest from a number of clubs round the globe, with United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid among those monitoring his progress.
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Having impressed for Southgate's side so far in Qatar, the young midfielder is expected to start against France in the quarter-final on Saturday night. Former Reds left-back Evra has identified Bellingham as England's key man, while also tipping him to become one of the country's best players.
"Bellingham for me, will be, by far, the best midfielder that England have ever had in their national team. I can't compare him yet to Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard at club level, because those players were consistent," Evra told Betfair.
"I want him to play for 10 years at that level, then we can compare and see who's better. But for the national team, to see how confident he is, it's unbelievable. What a joy it is to see him play.
"I'm not surprised, I said to my friends that he's the player to watch, he's so mature. He sees everything, in the last game that second goal he was the one that started the play, he got the assist, he's the key player.
"Without Bellingham, England won't function, it's simple. Without Griezmann, I think France can still perform but they won't have control of the game in the key points of the match."
The Frenchman also suggested that Bellingham was capable of thriving in any country as he continues to be linked with another move abroad after joining Dortmund from boyhood club Birmingham City in 2020.
Evra added: "Bellingham is a complete player. I'm not being rude, but a lot of English players didn't succeed when they went abroad, if it was in Italy, or in Spain. Beckham had a good career, but you saw it with Michael Owen, he won the Ballon d'Or then went to Madrid, he didn't do as well there.
"I feel that English players play their best when they are in the Premier League, maybe it's hard for them to adapt to a new country, a new culture, it's not just about football it's the environment. Bellingham is a player that can play anywhere, Barcelona, Madrid, anywhere he wants. He's unreal. He's a pleasure to watch.
"If you ask every manager in world football what they want for Christmas, they will be asking Santa for Jude Bellingham.
"It's scary he's only 19. He plays with so much confidence, he reads the game and understands it. I always say in life age is just a number but now it's no excuse in football. Before, when you were 18 or 19 and you played and made a mistake, the first thing people would say is that you need to learn.
"Now, there's no excuse. Young players, like Bellingham, and Mbappe when he was younger, are ready. Ansu Fati is another young player who started playing with the first team when he was young. There's no excuse. If Bellingham plays a bad game, it's not because he's too young, people will just say he failed."
Bellingham has registered 19 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances for Dortmund and has also captained the side on a number of occasions this season.
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