Owen advises Bellingham to 'restructure his life' after World Cup
‘He has to come to the Premier League!’: Michael Owen advises Jude Bellingham to ‘restructure his life’ after shining for England in the World Cup… and compares the Dortmund star to former team-mate Steven Gerrard
- Michael Owen has offered Jude Bellingham advice after his World Cup journey
- Bellingham shone for England during their World Cup campaign in Qatar
- Owen had a similar experience after impressing during the 1998 World Cup
- He advised Bellingham to ‘restructure his life’ amid his growing notoriety
- Owen also suggested the midfielder ‘has to come to the Premier League’
Michael Owen has advised Jude Bellingham to ‘restructure his life’ after shining for England during their World Cup campaign.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder was one of the standout players for the Three Lions in Qatar and has quickly become a household name across the country.
Owen – who dealt with similar levels of stardom in his playing career – warned Bellingham of the ‘challenges and pressure’ that will follow, but called on the midfielder to shine through it all.
Jude Bellingham shone for England during their World Cup campaign over the past month
Owen shared some advice for the youngster after going through a similar rise to fame
Speaking to the Telegraph, Owen said: ‘Jude is going to need to restructure his life and make sure he has got people around him who can help.
‘He’s had a great World Cup, maybe not the same big moment I had, but we can feel a genuine force who is going to be a great player for a long time.
‘He is going to have similar things, similar challenges and pressure. The only people he needs to worry about are his manager and his team-mates, keep them happy, not anyone else, and that should ensure he keeps on track to be the player we think he’s going to be for the next decade.’
Bellingham picked up one goal and one assist during England’s World Cup campaign before they crashed out in the quarter-finals after defeat to France.
Bellingham has become a well-known name across England after shining in the World Cup
Owen, similarly, broke onto the international scene as a teenager and shone for England
His performances in Qatar will have piqued the interest of a number of top European clubs, however Owen insisted Bellingham should return to England for his next move.
‘I think he has to come back to the Premier League. He has done very well in Germany and made that decision to leave Birmingham when he was very young so he would get the opportunity to play. Dortmund have a massive asset on their hands,’ Owen said.
‘The Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world, it is just a question of which club can afford him?
‘There aren’t many around because he is a special, special talent. He’s going to be one of the best around.’
The midfielder has already been tipped to join Liverpool after striking a strong relationship with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson during England’s World Cup camp.
Bellingham (R) has struck up a close relationship with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson (L)
Owen went on to shower Bellingham with praise for his hard work and claimed that he’s ‘fallen in love’ with the Dortmund star’s playstyle.
‘He is breaking this mould of being categorised as a six or an eight. He can play anywhere in midfield and do everything,’ Owen said.
‘In my day, you normally played with a two in midfield and you had to be an all-rounder, but we’ve lost those players because you normally have a midfield three.
‘That requires specific positions because it needs a balance. I played with one of the best all-round midfielders around in Steven Gerrard, and six was not his position. If you asked him to do that, you were chopping off his legs, as it were.
‘So many people can do a six job, not many can do everything. Gerrard was too good to not go forward, score and create goals. Jude is the same.’
Owen compared Bellingham’s playstyle to that of former team-mate Steven Gerrard (above)
Bellingham is ‘breaking the mould’ due to his versatility on the pitch, according to Owen
‘He’s got attributes that make him a complete midfielder. We don’t see him every week because he’s out in the Bundesliga, but what struck me was how giving he is.
‘The more I watch him, I love the way he plays. A lot of people, when they become very good, it almost becomes uncool to do the hard yards and the stuff you don’t really get loads of praise for.
‘He is so grounded, he does good things, great runs and scores goals, but when players make a name for themselves they sometimes save their energy for the big, headline-grabbing moments.
‘He does the stuff managers and team-mates really notice. I hope he keeps the hunger to do all the nasty jobs. He works his nuts off. I’ve fallen in love with him.’
Bellingham will return to Borussia Dortmund following England’s World Cup elimination
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