Liverpool could have a job on their hands securing the services of Jude Bellingham as the teenager shoots to global stardom at the World Cup in Qatar.
That's the view of Rio Ferdinand, who believes that Premier League champions Manchester City will make a move for the Borussia Dortmund sensation who can simply take his pick of Europe's top clubs. Ferdinand's former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville has also weighed in on the glowing praise for Bellingham, labelling him the complete midfielder.
The teenager was once again in brilliant form for the Three Lions on Sunday evening, as England cruised past Senegal 3-0 to set up a quarter-final clash with France.
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Speaking on his Vibe with Five podcast, Ferdinand said: "Bellingham yesterday...I've not seen a 19-year-old young midfielder come into a tournament and absolutely dominate defensively, retrieving the ball but then deciding the game with the right decision, right pass at the right time. It's ridiculous. He's an animal, animal. There's no midfielders for England that I've seen in my lifetime doing what he's doing, running Champions League games at the top level and running World Cup games for England, it's a joke.
"He's anything he wants to be, I've spoken to England coaches who had him in youth teams, he's as good as he is a defensive midfielder as he is attacking midfielder, he can do it all. It'll be interesting to see how his career pans out. Where's he going? What's his price now? What is Jude Bellingham's price now? Where does he go now?
"Pep Guardiola's signed a new deal, if they [Man City] don't win the Champions League this year, he goes there with a mindset 'I am going to be the man that brings you the Champions League' that's how I think he's moving, that's how I think he rolls. I think he will [go to City], I think he'll say he's got a couple of mates there, England boys, 'I can go Madrid in five years'.
"I think he thinks 'listen man, I'm a superstar, I want to go win the league and the Premier League because I'm an English-born boy and then I'll go Madrid and do the same there in a couple of years. The mad thing is he's got the chance, the great thing is he has the absolute choice and pick of what he does. There will be clubs queuing up."
Without question, Bellingham's already lofty stock has sky-rocketed in Qatar as the world witnesses the 19-year-old's meteoric rise to super stardom. The England star is seen as key to the overhaul of Liverpool's midfield and pundit Neville has drawn comparisons with some of the greatest midfielders he played alongside and against during his long distinguished career.
And Neville also sent a message to the 'sneaky' players trying to get Bellingham on side over in Qatar. Speaking on Sky Sports News, he said: "When I was in the [England] camp 15 years ago, I used to get close to Rooney, close to Rio Ferdinand...now you see Phil Foden next to Jude Bellingham, you see Trent Alexander-Arnold going for a walk with him, you see Jordan Henderson cuddling up to him at the end of the game. And you think 'you sneaky little s*ds, I know what you're trying to do you lot'. That's the reality at this moment in time. [Bellingham] is more likely to go to Liverpool and Manchester City, just because of where they are at, what they are doing."
Nevilled added: "People have become obsessed in the last 10 or 15 years trying to describe what type of midfield player every midfield player is, you get put into boxes. You're a holding player, a box-to-box player, a goal-scoring midfielder or a number 10. This lad can do everything.
"They're very unique players and I was in the studio with one last night, Roy Keane, that could do everything. I think Steven Gerrard could do everything. He could defend, he could pass, attack, these are very, very unique talents in world football and ones that I played with and that's what he reminds me of. If I was to put him in that category that is high praise because you couldn't make me talk higher about those types of players. Their ability to contribute in different areas of the pitch, so how at 19, he is delivering it though is the unique part.
"Roy Keane wasn't delivering it at 19 and neither was Steven Gerrard, it was a little bit later. What he's doing now at a World Cup, I've not seen before. It's breath-taking and something I'm sure will attract interest from some Premier League clubs."
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