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Despite his tender age, Jude Bellingham has been handed midfield responsibilities by Gareth Southgate. Paul Ince holds the Borussia Dortmund lynchpin in high regard and believes he can be the English Roy Keane.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Corkman was the beating heart of Manchester United’s midfield. The all-action midfielder bossed the middle of the pitch and ensured that the defence was protected while helping out in attack as well.
Ince shared the dressing room with Keane and sees his likeness in the 19-year-old. The young Birmingham native is not only a regular for Der BVB but is also the third captain at Signal Iduna Park. In the England setup, his qualities have seen him boss the midfield at Qatar 2022.
Eyed as the future of the Three Lions, Bellingham has enjoyed forced his way into Southgate’s plans. Alongside Rice, he has been a mainstay of the English midfield, starting from the get-go in each of their three outings.
In the aftermath of their less-than-startling performance against the USA and a slow start against Wales, questions have been raised about Southgate’s starting eleven. Ince advised his former England and Middlesborough to continue with Bellingham.
The 55-year-old opined that the Dortmund midfielder is one of the few dominant midfielders around and adds value to their ranks thanks to his all-around game. Ince admitted that Bellingham is not a finished article at the moment but given his trajectory, can be a world-class player.
“These days, most midfielders have a designated position and we haven’t seen many all-rounders,” Ince told ICE36 Live Casino. “Players like Keane, Vieira or Gerrard in their prime, but Bellingham is one of them and he seems like he can do it all. He has everything in his locker, and that’s what I like about him.”
“He will only get better and hopefully he will become a world-class player. He still has a lot of learning to do and a long way to go, but the potential is massive. I like the way he plays the game – he can do it all in the midfield – and that is something that is missing in modern-day football. He is an authentic box-to-box midfielder player. He has all the attributes of a six, an eight and a ten.”
The sky is the limit for mature Bellingham
Bellingham broke through their hometown Birmingham City’s ranks and was appearing for the first team whilst still a schoolboy. His trajectory at St Andrew’s earned his the advances of Premier League clubs.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea were interested in his signature but chose Borussia Dortmund to continue his footballing education. He has not looked back since, forging his identity alongside Erling Haaland and Gio Reyna at the Signal Iduna Park.
Ince hailed his maturity and mental toughness for preferring a foreign league over staying in England’s comfort. The Reading manager also only had words of praise for Der BVB’s youth project that has helped them groom youngsters with ease.
“I think the sky’s the limit for the kid. I remember watching him at Birmingham and I thought he was going to be a player. Going to Dortmund at such a young age says a lot about his maturity and who he is as a person.
“I was interested to see how he coped with that move, but since going over there he has been one of Dortmund’s best players. Having played abroad myself for a big club, I know how difficult it can be to settle in – it normally takes a few months, but he seemed to have settled immediately.”
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