'He has gone to another level', says Southgate after Bellingham masterclass against Senegal

England manager Gareth Southgate was full of praise for teenage sensation Jude Bellingham after he lit up the World Cup stage with an electrifying performance against Senegal. Southgate said Bellingham's maturity could not have been predicted by many.

"I don't think we could have predicted how quickly Bellingham could mature. In the last five months that has gone to another level," said Southgate in the post-match presser.

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Bellingham was instrumental in England netting their first goal of the match. After a tentative start to the game, Senegal started creating a few overloads in the England penalty box and asking questions of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Just when it looked like the African champions would push on the throttle, England through a counterattack, orchestrated by Phil Foden, Harry Kane, Bellingham and Jordan Henderson managed to get their noses ahead.

Read more:FIFA World Cup 2022: England cruise past Senegal 3-0 in R-16 to setup quarterfinal date with France

It was Bellingham that received a precise pass from Kane who had dropped deep in the midfield. However, the 19-year-old using his physicality and pace managed to beat a few Senegalese defenders and dropped a pinpoint cross in front of Henderson who busted a gut to get into the box and calmly slot the ball to the back of the net.

Similarly, for the second goal, it was Bellinghamthat won the ball high up in the English half and managed to progress it deep into the Senegalese territory and set up Kane for his first goal of the tournament.

The English skipper heaped praise on Bellingham and said the teenager hadeverything going for him.

"I think he's a fantastic player. He has everything with and without the ball. He presses really well, gets around the pitch, tackles," said Kane.

"With the ball he can run, take players on, play a through ball, and as you saw today he was really important with our goal. I like Jude a lot. He's a really good person. He's mature for his age, got great leadership skills."

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Bellingham's performance at the World Cup is expected to drive up his transfer price ahead of the winter transfer window.

Liverpool have been the frontrunner in acquiring the services of the Borussia Dortmund player but with the price tag reaching almost $123 million, Jurgen Klopp and FSG will have to break the bank and smash the club transfer record.

(With inputs from agencies)

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