Jude Bellingham is 'heading in the right direction' but it is too soon to compare England's rising star to Paul Gascoigne. That is the view of Newcastle United legend Chris Waddle, who reckons it might take another decade for the Borussia Dortmund star to be properly judged against the Three Lions maverick.
Bellingham has emerged as one of England's standing stars at the World Cup so far, and registered two assists in the knockout victory over Senegal last time out. The 3-0 win over the Group A runners-up has setup a quarter-final tie with reigning champions France on Saturday night.
Bellingham has enjoyed a stunning rise in his brief senior career to date, with the 19-year-old tipped to seal a big-money move next summer after excelling in the Bundesliga and Champions League. However, Waddle feels it is far too soon to compare the all-action midfielder with a legend like Gazza.
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He told Lord Ping: "I think Jude Bellingham is heading in the right direction, but he isn’t in Gazza’s class at the minute. I think we should judge him in the years to come. When Jude is in his late twenties, we’ll be able to really know.
"From the first kick of the tournament in 1990, everybody could see that Gazza was going to be the man. Jude is gradually growing into the tournament and he has had spells in games where you think, “wow”. Gazza was constant on the pitch and he was a constant irritation off the pitch!"
Waddle does acknowledge similarities between the midfielders, and admires the confidence Bellingham has already shown despite his age. The former Magpies winger believes the teenager deserves credit for the manner in which he has remained composed despite his rapid rise through the ranks for both club and country.
Waddle added: "He has the same smile and confidence of Gazza, which is nice to see. At the moment, he is playing well for Dortmund and has arguably been England’s best player over the last year. We need to give him credit for the maturity he has shown and how he is handling the spotlight at the moment."
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