Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Liverpool could sign their own Wayne Rooney but Jordan Henderson has warning for Reds
Jordan Henderson has compared a Liverpool target to Wayne Rooney.
Liverpool could land their own Wayne Rooney-type player if they sign Jude Bellingham. Jordan Henderson has compared the England midfielder to Rooney but has also urged caution over too much hype at a young age.
Bellingham is ripping it up for England at the World Cup. He has been one of the standout players for Gareth Southgate's side ahead of the quarter-final against France on Saturday.
He doesn't turn 20 until next June but has already made over 150 senior appearances in his club career, as well as winning 21 caps for his country. Bellingham has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool.
The Reds are thought to be leading the way for his signature ahead of a potential summer transfer. Henderson has become close with Bellingham during the World Cup campaign to fuel speculation over a potential move to Anfield.
READ MORE: Arsenal have 'offer rejected' to re-sign star after release clause not met
Pep Guardiola says Germany has been good for ‘whole package’ Jude Bellingham
Henderson is in no doubt about the quality the teenager has. But he is worried that too much pressure is being put on him, similar to when Rooney was under intense scrutiny at his age.
Rooney made his debut for Everton at the age of 16 and joined Manchester United at 18 for a fee of near £30million. He had already made his debut for England a year earlier in a friendly defeat to Australia.
Henderson told ITV: "The first time I met [Bellingham], the thing that stood out to me, of course I knew how good he was as a footballer when I was training with him, but the thing that stood out to me was his mentality. It was just different to anything I've seen before.
DON'T MISS
Arsenal 'reach agreement to sign Ndicka' as Arteta closes on bargain
Arsenal boss Arteta unearths hidden gem after unexpected twist vs Lyon
Gakpo to Man Utd: Bad news for trio, possible shirt number, price tag
"Now, a year or two on, he's been incredible. Huge player for us as a team, amazing in this tournament.
"I just hope we can just enjoy him, we just need to enjoy him playing football. We don't want to put too much pressure on him, he's only 19.
"The only thing I can relate it to is probably Rooney when he sort of burst on the scene and with all the England fans, he was the one who was going to change everything. There was a lot of pressure put on him at a young age and I just hope we can be a bit more careful with Jude and just let him play football and enjoy it."
Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our new Facebook group by clicking here