Yaya Toure has warned that Jude Bellingham’s career could go the way of Dele Alli’s if the media put too much pressure on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
Bellingham’s rise since his move to Dortmund has been meteoric and the youngster has demonstrated during the World Cup just why he is so highly thought of.
The teenager has been England’s best player so far, marrying a fantastic engine and great technical quality with composure on the ball.
Bellingham’s rise is not too dissimilar to Alli’s, who made his debut for the Three Lions as a teenager and played in his first major tournament just after turning 20.
The former MK Dons man appeared to have the world at his feet but he has had a dramatic decline over the past three years, and now finds himself struggling to make an impression at Besiktas.
Toure, who is now an academy coach at Spurs, warned the English media to protect Bellingham and not to put pressure on him as they did with Alli.
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The Manchester City legend told The Athletic: “I hope the media are careful with him because we saw a similar situation a few years ago with Dele Alli, who struggled at times with being presented as a leader for club and country.
“It’s important for everyone to be protective of Bellingham for his development, because it’s clear that he has a bright, bright future with England.”
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The reasons behind Dele’s decline are manifold but perhaps it also had partly to do with the expectations on his shoulders at a young age and believing in his own hype.
Bellingham seems a much more grounded young man, who is keen to continue learning, which is why I think he is a much safer bet to evolve into one of the best midfielders in the world.
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