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Jude Bellingham’s response speaks volumes after Joe Cole compares him to Gerrard
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was the star of the show at Hampden Park, scoring and assisting to help England pick up a 3-1 friendly win over Scotland
Jude Bellingham has told England fans that there is much more to come from him, despite Joe Cole hailing him as better than Steven Gerrard at the same age.
Bellingham was the star of the show in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland on Tuesday night, scoring one and assisting one at Hampden Park. Phil Foden opened the scoring by diverting Kyle Walker’s low cross past Angus Gunn before Bellingham seized on a mistake by Andy Robertson to fire in a second minutes later.
Harry Maguire put into his own net from Robertson’s cross to make it 2-1 and give Scotland hope of a comeback. But Bellingham showed his talent with an eye-catching turn and pass for Harry Kane to fire in and make the game safe.
It was a stunning performance from the 20-year-old midfielder, who earned rave reviews from former England winger Cole. “People have compared him to Steven Gerrard,” Cole said on Channel 4.
“I played with Steven Gerrard and he was an absolute genius of a player, but Stevie himself, I think he said, even at 20 years of age, he didn’t have all the clubs in the bag that Jude’s got. It’s frightening to think how good he can be.
“The discussion is just about where do you think you’re going to get the best out of him? Do you play with two behind him, do you play with [James] Maddison in front of him to bounce passes off? There are so many options for England.”
Pundits and fans alike were dazzled by Bellingham’s display in Glasgow, but the man himself was still dwelling on his under-par performance in the 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Saturday. “I wasn’t happy with how I played in Poland against Ukraine,” he told Channel 4. “I think I showed a level that wasn’t anywhere near my best and I think that’s always the motivation, to get back to your best and I think that was close to it tonight.”
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Bellingham was deployed further forward against Scotland, with Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips anchoring the midfield behind him. That allowed the Real Madrid star more licence to get forward and he was heavily involved in everything good the Three Lions did.
Asked about his best position, Bellingham gave a telling response. “I think today was probably close,” he said. “I know it depends on the system that we play. It’s tough because we’ve got so many amazing players to accommodate and get the most out of, so we shouldn’t just be built around what I do well.
“The team has to come first always, so I do my best to slot in and do whatever the gaffer wants from me. I probably think this one (system) was a bit better suited than the weekend – no hints to the gaffer – but I really enjoyed playing in that position tonight.”
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