Jordan Henderson has backed Jude Bellingham to bring the “X factor” to England’s shot at World Cup glory.
Thomas Tuchel’s men are counting down the days until Wednesday’s Group L opener against Croatia as onlookers debate the starting line-up in Dallas.
Bellingham is among the main discussion points as he competes with close friend Morgan Rogers to start as number 10 for England at what is the Real Madrid star’s fourth major tournament aged just 22.
Henderson, the first Englishman to be selected for seven tournaments, has built a strong relationship with him down the years and believes he could be the difference this summer.
“I honestly couldn’t speak highly enough of him,” the Brentford midfielder said.
“I know a lot gets written in the media and I find it hard to read sometimes, because I just know how big an influence he is on this team, how good a team-mate he is off the field.
“What he gives us is just something really special. I think he really gives us the X factor in our team.”
He continued: “He’s had big moments in his career, he’s a big game player. He’s got experience in tournaments, so he’s a huge, huge player for us in this tournament.
“I think if you ask any player in the group, they’ll tell you how much of a good team-mate he is, how well he trains.”
Henderson praised Bellingham’s maturity and influence on the group, highlighting how he looked after the training players during their warm-weather camp in Florida.
The talented midfielder handed Rio Ngumoha his legacy cap after the 17-year-old’s eye-catching debut against New Zealand in Tampa and feels the midfielder is widely misunderstood.
“I do think a lot of the media and the stuff that gets written isn’t all true, to be honest, or a lot of it is actually untrue,” Henderson added.
“But for us, we all know what he can do and how much we all love him inside the inside the camp, and I suppose that’s the main thing.”
Henderson’s final answer of a heavily delayed press conference was as passionate as Bellingham’s defence of the 35-year-old’s inclusion in Tuchel’s World Cup squad.
The Real Madrid star claimed critics “don’t have a clue what they are talking about”, saying Henderson is the glue that helps keeps the group together.
“It’s important to make sure the culture and the environment off the pitch is good, of course, but I don’t feel like that’s down to one person,” Henderson said. “I feel that’s down to everyone.
“Everybody’s got a role to play and that’s been a big thing for this squad, especially leading up to this tournament, to be a very, very good team-mate whether you’re playing, coming on, not playing.
“It’s about creating that environment and creating the culture to keep driving each other forward and supporting each other in the right moments.
“I feel as though we’ve done that really well since the manager’s come. It’s grown and got stronger.
“I’m pretty happy with the place we’re in at the minute, especially after the pre-camp.
“I think the lads have been excellent over the last two weeks and we’re just looking forward to getting going.”
