Manchester City Boss Heaps Praise On Jude Bellingham: 'The Whole Package Is Really Good'

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, saying "the whole package is really good."

City, who have already qualified for the Round of 16, are scheduled to take on Dortmund in their penultimate Champions League Group G match Tuesday. The 19-year-old had scored in his previous two appearances against Guardiola's City, including in the first-leg meeting last month.

"The quality, everybody knows it. The whole package is really good," Guardiola said of Bellingham, reported BBC Sport.

Bellingham, who moved from Birmingham City to Dortmund in 2020, has also played 17 matches for Gareth Southgate's English national team. In the ongoing season, the teenage sensation has netted eight goals and two assists in 17 appearances for Dortmund.

Overall, Bellingham has scored 18 goals and made 20 assists in 107 appearances for the German club, netting twice in his side's 5-0 win over Stuttgart at the weekend.

"He was 17 when he arrived but it was not just about his quality, [it was] how he was leading, his kicking, going to the referee. This guy was something special in terms of his mentality. Now he is 19 and he is already one of the captains," said Guardiola in the same interview.

Bellingham put Dortmund ahead before Guardiola's City produced a late fightback, thanks to goals from John Stones and Erling Haaland, to seal the game 2-1 at Etihad Stadium in September.

Bellingham had struck a fine bond with Haaland and Jadon Sancho at Dortmund over the last couple of years, which also saw the club win the DFB-Pokal trophy in 2021. Manchester United signed Sancho in the summer of 2021 and City landed Haaland ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

"I think Borussia Dortmund is the perfect place for young talent to come. Maybe if Jude Bellingham was in England he would go to City, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, maybe he would not get the minutes. The best thing for a young player to be better is to play minutes," Guardiola said.

Haaland has started his life in Manchester on a high as he has already netted an incredible 22 goals, apart from three assists in 22 appearances for City across all competitions in the ongoing season.