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Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has likened Liverpool target and Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham to Reds icon Steven Gerrard.
The 19-year-old midfielder is considered one of the hottest prospects in world football. He has impressed at the start of his third full season for the German giants.
The England international opened the scoring for Dortmund against Manchester City in their Champions League clash yesterday (September 14) with a superb header. However, the Cityzens ended up winning 2-1.
Bellingham has every attribute required to become a world-class central midfielder. The wonderkid has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool next summer (via The Express).
Speaking to BT Sport, Hargreaves compared the teenager to his former Three Lions teammate Gerrard. He explained (as per The Liverpool Echo):
"Jude can do everything. Be physical like Stevie G, he can be aggressive, can play passes over the top, run beyond you, dribble, that's the type of player you’ve got to worry about because they can do everything."
He added:
"The way he speaks for a 19-year-old, it’s not normal. His composure, calmness and elegance to his game, he’s a defensive midfield player scoring against City and playing balls with outside of the foot. He’s a swiss army knife, he is. Today they wanted him to play higher so he could get them higher up the pitch, he did."
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola full of praise for Liverpool transfer target
The Merseyside club are leading the race to sign Bellingham next summer and bring some much-needed quality to their midfield.
Following his display against the Cityzens in the Champions League, Guardiola sung the praises of the young Englishman. The City boss stated (as per The Liverpool Echo):
“I was impressed when he was 17, imagine now that he’s 19, he grew up so (much). Defensively he’s able to follow Gundogan or Kevin [De Bruyne] in the pockets and win the duels. The transition is fast, have the sense for the second position right to the box for the goal he scored."
He added:
“So he’s an exceptional player, I think everyone knows it. Not because the manager of Manchester City is going to tell you. Everybody knows it.”
Bellingham has started all nine of Dortmund's games this season and scored in both Champions League clashes. Calls are growing from England supporters for Gareth Southgate to start the youngster in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup later this year.
