Henderson defends 'special' Bellingham: We all love him

Jordan Henderson insisted Jude Bellingham is loved by his England team-mates as he hit back at criticism directed the youngster's way.

Bellingham heads to the World Cup on the back of reports suggesting he may not be Thomas Tuchel's first choice in the attacking midfield position.

Indeed, Bellingham was not always included by Tuchel in qualifying, albeit he was struggling with injuries, with Morgan Rogers deployed in the number 10 role.

However, Bellingham looks set to start behind Harry Kane in England's World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday.

And Henderson has been left baffled by the criticism the 22-year-old has received.

"I can remember six years ago, I gave him his first cap and how much he has grown as a player and person since then is incredible really," said Henderson.

"I had a good idea when I first saw him playing and training and the way he was. What he has done so far at such a young age, I think everybody forgets how young he is, even me sometimes.

"I honestly couldn't speak highly enough of him.

"I know a lot gets written in the media, I find it hard to read sometimes really because I just know just 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. He really gives us an X-factor in our team. He has had big moments in his career, he is a big game player.

"He has got experience in tournaments. He is a huge, huge player for us in this tournament.

"If you ask any player in this group they will tell you how much of a good team-mate he is, how well he trains.

"I know he is young but he also helps young players, new players that come in. How he was in the pre-camp with Rio [Ngumoha], Josh King, Alex Scott, Ethan [Nwaneri] – how he is with the players, nobody sees that.

"They all look up to him and he gave Rio [Ngumoha] his first cap which gives you a little insight to what he is like behind the scenes.

"I do think that a lot of the media and the stuff that gets written isn't all true to be honest, a lot of it is actually untrue.

"For us, we know what he can do and we all love him inside the camp and I suppose that's the main thing."

Since he made his England debut in November 2020, Bellingham has played 48 games for the Three Lions.

In that time, only John Stones (50), Jordan Pickford (56), Declan Rice (62) and Kane (65) have featured in more matches for England.

Bellingham has scored six times for his country, including two crucial goals at Euro 2024, with England going on to reach the final, only to lose to Spain.