Yaya Toure has likened reported Liverpool target Jude Bellingham to Reds legend Steven Gerrard and explained why the 19-year-old will soon become ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’.
The teenager has been in exceptional form for Borussia Dortmund this season and his performances for England at the Qatar World Cup have only increased the excitement around him.
The former Birmingham City star will be eager to impress once again when the Three Lions clash with France in the last-16 tomorrow and Toure has explained who the midfielder reminds him of.
“The goal (against Iran) reminds me of (Steven) Gerrard, (Frank) Lampard, (Paul) Scholes. Maybe more Scholes. Big players who smell a chance, see the gap in a defence and just go into it,” Toure told The Athletic (via the Liverpool Echo).
“These types of players force opponents to not just worry about the forwards. They have to worry about Bellingham too, because his running from the second line is brilliant,” he added. ”He doesn’t look 19. He looks like a player who has been playing at a high level for a long period. He’s going to be one of the best midfielders in the world and he’s showing his talent already.”
To be compared to those players, especially our former No. 8, is a huge compliment but he has earned that praise.
It appears that Bellingham can do it all in the middle of the park, whether that be sit deep and dictate play or break the lines and make things happen at the top end of the pitch.
He registered an assist for Jordan Henderson during the recent defeat of Senegal and that link-up only increased calls for Liverpool to secure his signature.
Jurgen Klopp has made the Dortmund No. 22 his main priority across the next two transfer windows and Christian Falk confirmed to the Empire of the Kop recently that there’s a ‘very, very good chance’ that he’ll join the FA Cup champions.
Still being a teenager means that Bellingham has the potential to shine in our midfield for the next decade or so and we therefore shouldn’t be put off by any hefty price tag.
#Ep64 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Christian Falk on Jude Bellingham, transfers… and more!