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‘He plays like a man’ Hazard impressed with Bellingham on his debut

Jude Bellingham
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Borussia Dortmund star Thorgan Hazard has heaped praise on new starlet Jude Bellingham, saying he plays way ahead of his age.

Bellingham is already making quite an impression in his early days at Borussia Dortmund.

The 17-year-old joined the Black and Yellows in July in a deal worth around €25m. He snubbed strong interest from Manchester United to join the German side.

On Monday, Bellingham started in fine fashion for Dortmund when he became the club’s youngest scorer in their history. He was on the scoresheet during their 5-0 DFB-Pokal victory over Duisburg on Monday.

Teammate Thorgan Hazard is pleased with what he has seen from the teenager so far. In his latest praise for him, he says the former Birmingham star plays far above his age.

“He is only 17, but he plays like a man,” Hazard said on Bellingham via Goal after the Duisburg clash.

“He is everywhere on the pitch, can score goals and defend. He is a very good player to keep the balance between attack and defence. He can help us a lot.”

Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is equally pleased with what he has seen so far and heaped praise on the youngster too.

“During pre-season, I’ve got to know him better,” Favre told the Swiss Telegraphic Agency, as per Bundesliga.com.

“I like the way Bellingham handles the ball, how he defends it. He gives us a number of tactical possibilities and has a fantastic presence.

“He can play as a number six or number eight, is a good passer and tries to put himself in scoring positions. He has the technical skills and a feel for space. That’s why it’s easy for me to work with such a talent.”

Dortmund begin their Bundesliga campaign against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday and Bellingham is in line to start once again.

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