has heaped praise on ‘scarily good’ Jude Bellingham and admits he was ‘nowhere near’ his level at the same age.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Bellingham produced another impressive performance for England on Tuesday night as Gareth Southgate’s side .
Bellingham, still just 18, has now made 12 appearances for England and is expected to feature heavily for the team at the Qatar at the end of the year.
The teenager has developed into one of Dortmund’s most important players since signing from Birmingham City in 2020, with his performances in the Bundesliga and the attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Premier League rivals , while Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are said to be admirers of the youngster.
Discussing Bellingham’s talent after England’s friendly win over Ivory Coast, Manchester City’s £100m man Grealish said: ‘I haven’t actually [played with a teenager who is that good]. It is scary how good he is at 18.
‘He is just so mature. He is built like he is my age at 26. He has so much technical ability and he is mature for his age.
‘I can tell you one thing, I was nowhere near as good at 18. I was at Notts County (on loan from Villa) and I was a scrawny little thing as well.
‘You see talented 18 or 19-year-old kids but not many are that mature as he is on the pitch. He is so versatile and can play in many different positions on the pitch.
‘He can be a six, eight or a ten. It was good to play with him and I think it was my first time playing with him. It is nice to play with a fellow Brummie.’
England secured victories over as they continue their preparations for the 2022 World Cup.
Under Southgate, England reached the Euros final last summer, following their run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.
‘It will be quite surreal watching a World Cup draw knowing I could be going,’ Grealish said ahead of the draw on Friday.
‘It is so hard to get into this squad with the amount of talent but as a group we don’t fear anyone.
‘We have such a confident group and a good group of players with a mix of experience and youth but so much talent.
‘I have heard people say before, players who played for England 10 or 15 years ago, that they didn’t enjoy it.
‘For me, I love coming away. I love the training with the lads, such a good group, and credit to the staff, they’ve done that, and the manager.
‘It is just the little things in the Euros they did for us they made us feel so homely which helped us. We have such a good group and I love coming away.’
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