Ex-Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham is finally finding his feet in Germany.
The England youth international, following in the footsteps of elder brother Jude, arrived in Germany shouldering a considerable weight of expectation, but, initially, looked to be struggling to make his mark on a consistent basis.
At the beginning of the season, starts were an infrequent occurrence and Bellingham’s form when he was on the pitch seemed to waver notably. Meanwhile, reports emerged suggesting that both the player and his family were somewhat dissatisfied with his role in North Rhine-Westphalia, and Sky Sports pundit Dietmar Hamann even went as far as to label the midfielder "a spoiled brat who wasn't even in the same league as Jude."
But in recent weeks, it would appear that the tide has slowly turned for Bellingham. Tuesday night’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Atalanta represented the ex-Sunderland talent’s eighth consecutive start across all competitions, and with increased game time, his level of output has spiked accordingly.
Indeed, speaking in a press conference on Thursday, ahead of his side’s Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig, Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac emphasised just how pleased has been with Bellingham’s work of late.
He said: “He is physically much fitter than he was in the summer. He acts much faster now. He is a complete professional You can see that he plays more or less every minute at the moment. He certainly still has room to grow, but I am very satisfied with his current level.”
What else has been said about ex-Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham?
But in a sense, Kovac’s comments are not anything particularly revelatory. Even when the outside noise in Germany erred towards criticism, the Dortmund boss continued to reiterate his belief that Bellingham could grow into a significant presence for his side.
“He's constantly improving and will certainly have a great career”, the German said earlier this season. “I'm very happy with him. He's a great guy and a very good player. He's well-mannered and humble, he works hard and wants to improve every day, whether it's watching videos or on the training pitch. That's exactly what you expect as a coach.”
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Likewise, when Bellingham first arrived on the continent, sporting director Lars Ricken was quick to emphasise just much faith Dortmund had in the starlet’s potential. He said: "Jobe is an exceptionally talented player who, despite his young age, already possesses remarkable maturity and game intelligence. We are convinced that he perfectly fits our philosophy of promoting young talent and giving them the opportunity to develop at the highest level.
"His professionalism, dynamism and ambition will enrich our team. We look forward to supporting him in his future adventure and are certain that he will play an important role in the future of Borussia Dortmund.”
It might have taken a few months, but it would appear that Dortmund are finally starting to see the very best version of Bellingham on a regular basis.
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