Jordan Henderson has backed “world-class” player and person Jude Bellingham to bounce back from his England disappointment and make Thomas Tuchel’s team even better moving forwards.
The 22-year-old missed September’s internationals after undergoing shoulder surgery and was widely expected to return to the fold for this month’s double-header against Wales and Latvia.
But Tuchel overlooked fit-again Bellingham in favour of those that impressed last month, leading the England manager to face questions over their relationship and the player’s personality.
Henderson seemed surprised to hear there was external perception from some that the Real Madrid star has an ego and praised the “very special” midfielder’s attitude as much as his aptitude.
“From the outside, you can never listen to noise or media or things like that because a lot of the time it can be untrue or it can be misinterpreted,” the experienced Brentford midfielder said.
“But the players know what Jude is like as a person and as a player.
“He is a world-class player and a world-class person, and he makes the England team when he plays even better because of the type of player that he is.”
Next month marks five years since Bellingham made his England debut, with the 44-cap talent selected for three major tournaments in that time.
A fourth is surely on the horizon with qualification for next summer’s World Cup possible in a camp that the midfielder is having to watch from afar.
“What Jude has achieved in his career so far, at such a young age, doesn’t just happen,” Henderson said. “He has got an elite mentality.
“When he was just first coming into the squad, he was mature mentally beyond his years – which is why he has performed at the highest level for a long time now and still does.
“So, for him, he will just keep working hard. He has been coming back from a long injury in his shoulder that has been niggling him for quite some time now.
“For him, I think it’s just about getting back to full fitness, making sure that his shoulder is fully recovered, that he gets minutes on the pitch, that he gets a rhythm.
“I am sure he will take this time over the next week or so over the international period to make sure fitness wise, he is raring to go afterwards. We are talking about a world-class player, here.”
