Jobe Bellingham has been told not to leave Borussia Dortmund if he wants to become a player in top European football.
That’s the view of European football expert Andy Brassell amid loan links to Manchester United in the January transfer window.
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The Red Devils are reportedly considering a move for Jobe next month after he had initial difficulties in Germany.
The 20-year-old followed his brother Jew Bellingham In moved to BVB this summer after helping Sunderland secure promotion to the Premier League.
However, Jobe has only started three of twelve possible Bundesliga games since the beginning of September and rarely plays for more than 90 minutes.
The midfielder is currently serving a two-game ban after being shown a red card in the 1-1 draw with Freiburg.
Jobe said to reject the loan transfer
While a loan move in January would help restore confidence, Brassell argued that Jobe should follow Phil Foden’s template at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola famously prevented Foden from leaving the Etihad as a teenager, even temporarily, despite struggling for regular first-team minutes behind David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan.
The Spaniard has now reaped the rewards of the 25-year-old’s stay at the club, and Jobe is also set to reap similar benefits.
On the former Sunderland star’s loan links, Brassell told The Pitch Prospect.com: “It’s fair to say that a lot of that excitement has happened outside of Germany.”
“Niko Kovac, the Dortmund coach, treated Jobe Bellingham really, really well.
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Jobe shouldn’t be in the starting lineup
“You almost need someone like Kovac to cut through the nonsense and just be clear in his communication. And he’s always been that with Jobe Bellingham,” Brassell continued.
“Of course we go back to the start of the season when his father Mark came into the dressing room to talk to sporting director Sebastien Kehl about Dortmund’s poor performance and apparently also about Jobe being substituted at half-time.”
“But Kovac is the guy who puts it in perspective and says, ‘Look, he’s someone who has a huge talent that we’re developing and is way beyond what we previously expected.’
“He’s also started a few Champions League games, so he’s clearly highly rated.”
“It’s kind of unreasonable that people in England look at this guy, who has never played in the top flight before, and say he should start every Bundesliga game. He shouldn’t.”
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According to the Foden template
Brassell added: “I don’t think he should be [starting every Bundesliga game]. He is someone who learns and also learns his role.
“The pressure on Jude when he arrived was not insignificant, but it was much less than that on Jobe, simply because he did not have an older brother who had gone before him and was one of the best players at this club in recent times.”
“I guess they took a calculated risk by choosing Borussia Dortmund and realizing that there would be this comparison.”
“I don’t know if the Bellingham family could ever have realized that it would be so difficult at a media level, especially given the way the English media sees it.”
“And if they had gone to other clubs instead of Dortmund, they would certainly still be in the same position as they are today in the game.”
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“That’s why I think we have to get this right in terms of the way they handle him and the way they care for him. I think they’re doing it pretty sensibly.”
“With the type of football Kovac wants to play, he needs people who can run all day. That’s Jobe Bellingham.”
“He has a big advantage over [the likes of Emre Can, Pascal Gross, and Marcel Sabitzer] immediately because he is 10 years younger than her and can switch back and forth between the boxes.
“Why should Dortmund give this responsibility elsewhere in terms of his development and finding the right role for him?”
“The idea that he has to go somewhere and just play every week is, I think, quite old-fashioned because I think he’s more in line with what he needs. I think he’s a very different player but the template would perhaps be something along the lines of Phil Foden at Manchester City.”
“Even if he doesn’t play or doesn’t play in every game, he will be taught what the club expects of him and he will be trained in a way that will be beneficial for Borussia Dortmund.”
“If he wants to become a player in top European football, don’t leave Dortmund. He’s in exactly the right place at the moment.”
“In the medium term, this is the right place to make him an elite player. As I said, there are still questions about that. But there is no reason for him to take a step back at this very early stage in his career.”
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Nobody benefits from a loan transfer
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel admitted he was to blame for Jobe’s red card due to his distribution error, and Kovac also defended him.
“I think it shows that if you have any concerns about Dortmund being the right environment for Jobe Bellingham, that should at least ease that thought a little bit,” Brassell told The Pitch Prospect.
“One of the big guys in the locker room says, ‘Yeah, that’s not Jobe, that’s me.’ I think this is really important. We already had such protection from Niko Kovac.
“That’s why I think looking at the minutes he’s played is just part of it. This is his first season at the highest level. It’s a developmental season.”
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“Dortmund is not in perfect shape at the moment, so there will be a few small moments.
“But look, he’s hard-working, he’s dedicated, he’s trying to find his best place.”
“Keep in mind that Jude Bellingham, who, as I said, in my opinion is a generational talent who is several steps ahead of his brother and probably always will be, perhaps it took him until his third season in Dortmund to find his ideal place exactly where he should be in midfield.”
“There is no big rush. I don’t think either the club or the player will benefit from him going out on loan.”