Football

World Cup 2022: Pundit says England youngster is like ‘Gerrard and Lampard rolled into one’

World Cup 2022: Pundit says England youngster is like ‘Gerrard and Lampard rolled into one’

Jermaine Jenas says England youngster Jude Bellingham is like ‘Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard rolled into one.’

The pundit made the comments having watched Bellingham score the opener in England’s 6-2 World Cup victory over Iran.

The Three Lions got their tournament off to a flying start with the win on Monday. And receiving much of the praise for his display was Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham.

England youngster draws Gerrard and Lampard comparisons

As reported by BBC Sport, several pundits were in awe at Bellingham’s performance in Doha.

And one pundit who was very impressed was former England international Jenas, who saw signs of Three Lions legends Gerrard and Lampard in the teenager.

Gerrard and Lampard had superb careers for club and country, and at just 19, Bellingham is already being compared to a combination of both midfielders.

“Bellingham is a throwback, he can really do it all,” said Jenas.

“He is like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard rolled into one. It’s a real bonus for Gareth Southgate to get him now in the form that he is in.”

Also impressed were fellow former England internationals Alan Shearer, Danny Murphy and Rob Green.

Shearer noted: “It was a complete performance from a really exciting player – it had everything, he put in the tackles, the work rate, his passing was superb, he got his goal, it really was a special day for him.”

Murphy commented: “When you are watching him, it is really easy to forget just how young he is.”

And speaking of England’s star youngster, Green said: “He’s everywhere, he is just patrolling the pitch. It seems wherever the ball goes he is there. He has that ability to find the ball at all times.”

The stats don’t lie for Bellingham

Bellingham is just 19 years old but already has 18 England appearances to his name.

In Monday’s encounter with Iran, the midfielder made 15 entries into the final third and boasted a passing accuracy of 96%. Only Kieran Trippier and John Stones managed more in those areas respectively.

The Borussia Dortmund teenager also made 23 passes in the final third and dispossessed his opponents nine times. Only Trippier and Declan Rice outshone Bellingham in those regards respectively.

Bellingham became England’s third-youngest starter in a World Cup game, aged 19 years and 145 days. Only Michael Owen in 1998 and Luke Shaw in 2014 were younger.

He opened the scoring against Iran with a brilliant header just past the half-hour mark, having latched onto a fine cross from left-back Shaw.

England

England defender full of praise Bellingham

Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t just the pundits watching on who were impressed by the youngster. His teammate Trippier was also full of praise after the match, but noted that he must stay focused on the task at hand in order to continue such fine displays.

“He is an unbelievable player for such a young age,” said Trippier.

“He is playing at such a high level and he is not afraid. He has got to keep his feet on the ground and keep performing like I know he will.”


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