Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham is ready to do battle in Glasgow and has insisted that he can’t wait to play at Ibrox.
The £67.5m rated England international appears up for the fight but unfortunately for him, very few of his teammates displayed the necessary credentials last night as Rangers romped to their 2-4 Europa League Playoff round, first leg victory.
If BVB are to have any hope of making it to the last 16, they will need to find a collective urgency and application which was sorely missing at the Westfalenstadion but former Birmingham man Bellingham can hold his head up high for his individual showing, including his superb goal to pull one back to make it 1-3 in what was a frantic opening period of the second half.
Speaking to BT Sport after the game, the midfielder was defiant in his thoughts looking ahead to the return leg next week:
“The second half I realised we were going for it a little bit but still, we can’t be that open.”
“We can’t allow those kind of chances but there’s a bit of hope because it’s a second leg and there’s not one person in that dressing room who will give up because I won’t let them.”
“We are going to go there and give everything. We know how hard it’s going to be.”
“For me personally, I can’t wait to play at Ibrox. It’s one of the best stadiums in Europe when it’s packed for a European night. So, bring it on.”
"I can't wait to play at Ibrox, it's one of the best stadiums in Europe. Bring it on."@BellinghamJude is excited for Dortmund's visit to Glasgow.
We're all excited.#UEL pic.twitter.com/X7DaMrUhge
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 17, 2022
Impact
At just 18, Bellingham already looks a very accomplished player and there is plenty of room left for improvement and progression in his career. Premier League clubs will certainly be keeping tabs on his situaton with a big money transfer back home very likely eventually.
Across the Bundesliga and both European competitions for BVB this season, he has already notched up an impressive five goals and 10 assists from 27 appearances. He is a quality player for now as well as the future.