The Leeds midfielder has heaped praise upon the Borussia Dortmund starlet after his impressive full debut for the Three Lions
Kalvin Phillips has claimed that “there are no words to describe how talented” Jude Bellingham is, while insisting the “sky is the limit” for his England team-mate.
Bellingham has emerged as one of the top young players in European football and was snapped up from Birmingham City by Borussia Dortmund for £21 million ($30m) last summer.
The 17-year-old’s performances for Dortmund caught the eye of Gareth Southgate, who has handed him three senior England caps already, the latest of which saw him produce a star turn on his full debut against Austria.
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What’s been said?
Leeds star Phillips, who was named in Southgate’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020 alongside Bellingham, has been blown away by the teenager’s ability and maturity levels in the Three Lions camp.
Phillips told talkSPORT of his admiration for Bellingham: “I’ve definitely not (seen) a 17-year-old that is as talented as what he is. I don’t even think I am as talented as he is to be honest with you. He is a great player, a great lad as well and he has got the world at his feet.
“Honestly, there are no words to describe how talented he is, as you can see throughout his career at Birmingham and then his move to Dortmund, which is a massive move for a kid so young.
“The way he has performed in certain games in the Champions League against Manchester City, just on the highest stage, it was like he was ready to be there already.
“For a kid so young at 17, you look at him and you can’t quite believe that he’s 17 years old, you can’t believe it because he’s so big, he’s so strong, so powerful.
“He’s a very nice lad as well so it’s nice to rub shoulders with a young lad who is doing so well and now the sky’s the limit for him.”
Southgate’s praise for Bellingham
Southgate gave the clearest hint yet that Bellingham could be in line to start England’s European Championship opener against Croatia next Sunday after the 1-0 friendly victory over Austria.
“He is not just here for the experience,” Southgate told reporters. “You’ve seen what he is capable of, we’ve seen that for Borussia Dortmund especially in the Champions League.
“The whole group respect him, he has great humility around the camp but he competes in training like he’s been with them from day one which is a great mentality to have.”
Bellingham’s meteoric rise to prominence
Bellingham became the youngest player in Birmingham’s history at the age of 16 years and 28 days in August 2019, and went on to appear in 44 games for the club before joining Dortmund – with the Championship side subsequently retiring his No.22 shirt.
The England international racked up another 46 first-team appearances for Dortmund in 2020-21, helping them win the DFB Pokal and secure a top-four finish in the Bundesliga.
Further reading
- England ‘more determined than ever’ to kneel – Southgate
- Southgate gives Henderson update ahead of Euros opener
- Saka: England goal ‘the biggest moment of my career’
