Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney says Jude Bellingham has the potential to become one of England’s best ever players, but warns the 20-year-old midfielder will need protection if his form declines

Wayne Rooney thinks Jude Bellingham should be their next leader. Bellingham is on the way to becoming one of the best football players of all time.

Jude Bellingham has already made feelings clear on new Birmingham City  manager Wayne Rooney - Birmingham Live

Since Rooney’s 17-year-old international debut, Bellingham is England’s most exciting player. The Real Madrid star added to his name with another great game in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Italy at Wembley.

Rooney is now in charge of Birmingham, the team that helped Bellingham grow as a player. He thinks the Blues star’s potential is limitless, but he warned that he needs to be properly helped when things go wrong.

Wayne Rooney knew Jude Bellingham would be a star when he man-marked him  and 'left his studs in' aged just 16 | The Sun

Rooney, who led England to 120 caps, said, “Jude has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best if he keeps going the way he is going.” “He needs a lot of help because I think he will be England’s captain one day.”

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“The way he holds himself, talks, and plays on the field has really impressed me.” At age 20, he already plays like a boss. For England’s sake, we need to keep him safe and take care of him. When you’re a young player and your form drops or you have problems off the field, it’s hard to block out the noise. He is at Real Madrid. They can be on you after one bad game.

It’s also hard to play for England, so it’s good that he’s close to the people around him. It makes things easier. He’s in the best shape of his life. Let’s all cheer for him if he does dip.

The amount of big games he’s played makes him look like he’s 24 or 25 years old, even though he’s only 20 years old. 

Wayne Rooney raring to go at Derby County as 'frustrating' wait for debut  continues

“Getting pleasure from it is the most important thing for him.” 

Tomorrow, Saturday, Rooney’s first game as Blues manager is against Middlesbrough. His old Manchester United teammate Michael Carrick will be in charge of the other team. 

They are still good friends, and Rooney said Carrick talked to him before accepting the job at Boro. 

But the way they get along won’t matter at the Riverside for two hours.

talkSPORT on X: " Jude Bellingham now has as many World Cup  goals as Wayne Rooney (1). https://t.co/Trg2zVWKBM" / X

As Rooney put it, “We have great memories of playing together, but I want to beat him.” 

“I don’t want to see him happy on Saturday at 5 p.m.” But, of course, there is a lot of love, and it would be great to talk after the game, no matter what!