Roy Keane praises Jude Bellingham’s England influence after Nations League performances
Roy Keane believes Jude Bellingham’s growing influence without the ball is helping to raise the standards of those around him after England’s emphatic win over Croatia.
Bellingham produced another outstanding performance as Thomas Tuchel’s side cruised to a 7-0 victory in Rijeka, scoring once and providing three assists in a dominant display.
Keane was particularly impressed by the Real Madrid midfielder’s attitude and work rate, arguing that his contribution extends well beyond what he produces in possession.
More to come
“There’s still a lot more to come from [Bellingham],” Keane said on ITV.
“Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time.”
The former Manchester United midfielder has previously highlighted Bellingham’s quality when England have the ball, but believes his development without possession has added another important dimension to his game.
“His attitude for England recently... I have been praising him for being fantastic in possession, but what he is doing out of possession, that lifts all these players,” Keane said.
A star and a team player
Bellingham’s willingness to press, recover possession and contribute defensively has become a major part of his role under Tuchel, with Keane suggesting those qualities can have a wider effect on the England squad.
“If you have a player who is that good in your team, who is amazing in possession and is playing for Real Madrid and doing brilliant things, but his work rate off the ball, that will inspire all the other players,” he added.
The performance also earned praise from Bellingham’s England team-mate Bukayo Saka, who scored twice against Croatia and believes the midfielder deserved to be named player of the match.
“He was amazing tonight to be fair,” Saka told ITV. “He deserved player of the year and he probably deserves man of the match tonight as well.
“He was special. Happy to play with him and happy to have him in the England team.”
Bellingham will now look to carry that form into England’s next Nations League fixture against Czechia at Wembley.
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