DOHA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - England manager Gareth Southgate already knew Jude Bellingham was something special but even he has been surprised at how the 19-year-old has taken the World Cup by the scruff of the neck.
After his goalscoring World Cup debut against Iran two weeks ago, Bellingham drove England into the quarter-finals with a commanding display in Sunday's 3-0 win over Senegal.
In the last five months that has gone to another level," Southgate said of the Borussia Dortmund player, who is reported to be a 100 million pounds ($123.41 million) target for Liverpool.
England team mate Phil Foden, 22, who set up two goals on Sunday, predicted Bellingham would become the best midfielder in the world.
England were struggling to contain Senegal in the first half but Bellingham suddenly seized control of the match, and his first-half statistics said it all.