Sunderland Boss Praises Young Jobe Bellingham

Jobe Bellingham has been tipped to take after his brother’s footsteps. The performances of the younger Bellingham has received words of commendation from Sunderland boss, Tony Mowbray who described the 18-year-old as a “focused driven player.”

Obviously, the impact of Jude Bellingham, his elder brother who has been a revelation for Real Madrid this season since moving from Borussia Dortmund in the Summer must have been a key factor in the young lad’s high-flying performance in the Championship.

Mowbray said in a press conference ahead of their clash against Middlesbrough that, “He is very mature for his age. He acts like a seasoned pro, and demands standards. Even in small-sided games, he wants to win. You can see he has a very focused, driven thought pattern on where he is going and how he is going to get there.”

“And that is to try to be excellent in everything you do. It’s a great mentality. He is not in the team because of his name, it is football ability and his competitive edge and athleticism and technique. He works hard every day. As coaches we want to protect him in three-game weeks so sometimes when he comes off it is to give him a break.”

“We should just enjoy the journey with him and see where he gets to as time rolls on. He doesn’t want to be compared with his brother, but we have coaches here who helped his brother as a 17/18-year-old. They can gauge where he is, and he has some amazing tools. If he listens, works hard and competes like he does he won’t go far wrong. He has confidence, belief and has a good football brain.”

Jobe was 17 when he joined Sunderland from Birmingham in the summer, while Jude moved to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund for up to €134 million (£116 million/$142 million) in the same window. To avoid his sibling’s extended shadow, the younger brother wears ‘Jobe’ rather than ‘Bellingham’ on the back of his shirt. This season, Jude has 10 goals and three assists in 10 games for Real Madrid.

During the October international break, the kid will be part of England’s Under-19 side, which will face Montenegro, Wales, and Austria in European Championship qualifiers. Sunderland would also face Stoke, Leicester, and Norwich in the Championship before the end of the month.