Jordan Henderson insists it would be ‘AMAZING’ if England team-mate Jude Bellingham joined Liverpool

Jordan Henderson has described Jude Bellingham’s potential as frightening and made it clear the winner in the race for his signature will be the luckiest club around.

Liverpool’s captain has struck up a strong bond with the Borussia Dortmund star and wherever one has been on England camps, the other has not been far away. When Henderson was giving his debrief to the media after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Ukraine, Bellingham walked past within earshot and started making snoring noises to put his elder team-mate off.

There has long been speculation that Liverpool are favourites to land Bellingham this summer but Henderson had no interest in discussing if he felt Merseyside would suit the 19-year-old best in the next phase of his career. He also made it clear there is no obligation for him to leave Dortmund.

What Henderson was happy to talk about, though, was Bellingham’s enormous potential. The 32-year-old is a hard judge to impress but the manner in which he spoke about his midfield partner made it quite clear the esteem in which he holds him.

‘He’s doing really well at Dortmund,’ said Henderson, one of England’s top performers against Ukraine. ‘Dortmund is a really good club, playing Champions League all the time, week in week out, that’s really helped him.

Jude Bellingham (left) and Jordan Henderson (right) have struck up a strong bond in recent times

Bellingham is one of Europe’s hottest prospects and most sought-after players

He seems set to leave current club Borussia Dortmund at the end of the league season

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‘I’m sure he’ll sit down with his family and in the future to decide what route he wants to take. Whatever route that is or whatever club that is, that will be a lucky club to have him. His potential is through the roof, really. He can be as good as he wants to be.

‘But he’s got the right mentality, which is the most important thing. He’s really special and I can’t believe his age and his mentality; how he applies himself to training and the games – everything. I’ve never seen it before so I’m pretty confident he’ll be a pretty good player for many years to come!

‘I’ve said it before: we just need to be careful not to apply too much pressure on him but just let him play football. When you do that, you can see what he does for Dortmund and when he comes here for England. Every time he puts on an England shirt he grows and is getting better and better.

‘There are things he can improve on but the platform and the basis he has got he can go as high as he wants to. I just want him to be the best player he can be. If it ended up being Liverpool that would be amazing. But it’s got to be right for him. Every club you can think will want him.’

England manager Gareth Southgate compared Bellingham’s impact to that of Wayne Rooney

Bellingham played with heavy strapping on his knee against Ukraine but that did not dilute his impact and there were moments when he engaged top gear that took your breath away: his pace and power – and intelligence – make him almost impossible to handle.

Gareth Southgate, like Henderson, is not someone who likes to build players up or put unnecessary pressure on shoulders but even he is being forced to think differently and his answer as to whether he had seen another teenager play with such poise struck a chord.

‘Maybe (Wayne) Rooney,’ said Southgate. ‘I remember one of his first (England) games against Turkey at the Stadium of Light (in April 2003) with the intelligence of where he was on the pitch. But in terms of personality and how he carries himself – Jude is in that bracket really.

‘The nice thing about him and Bukayo is they have that tremendous humility. They are totally reliable boys who want to improve. They are happy to be challenged, I said to the players after the game: “I love being part of this team” because they are exceptional to work with.’