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England supporters have been begged not to destroy Jude Bellingham by Wayne Rooney and ask them to protect him instead.
Bellingham has had an impressive start to the season with Real Madrid and England, scoring 10 goals in his last 10 games for his club.
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09:20 - 20.10.2023
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He was also involved in England's comeback victory against Italy in their 2024 European qualifiers on Tuesday.
The new Birmingham manager Wayne Rooney has asked fans to protect the midfielder and not ruin him.
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Rooney on Bellingham’s form
The manager of Birmingham insists that the 20-year-old midfielder must be protected by Southgate, Real Madrid, and England fans.
Rooney’s warning comes after Jordan Henderson, Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling were the subject of abuse from fans.
Rooney said as reported by the Sun, “What Jude is doing is incredible and you have to pay him a load of respect for the way he’s come through and gone to the next level.
“What is important is that he will dip at some point and we don’t kill him when that happens — that we just get behind him and stick with him.
07:32 - 20.10.2023
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15:09 - 11.10.2023
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“He’s someone we really need to protect and really look forward to the future with him. He’s on a purple patch but that dip happens to all players and as a country, we are too quick to get on players’ backs instead of giving them the chance to get out of a bad run of form.
“There is a lot of pressure playing for England so it’s important his coaches are around him. He’s in the best form of his life but if he does have that dip, let’s all get behind him. Adversity happens and it will happen with Jude, you’ve seen it with Marcus and Raheem.
"Let’s get behind all the other players — Maguire, who has had a difficult time at Manchester United.”
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Rooney speaks on Goran Eriksson's comment
Rooney experienced ups and downs throughout his 120 England appearances despite scoring 53 goals.
The new Blues chief said, “He has really impressed me with how he’s handled himself, how he speaks, how he is on the pitch, how he plays.
“He plays as a leader and what is he right now, 20? It’s difficult to blank all that noise out and especially when you are playing for Real Madrid.
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13:39 - 18.10.2023
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“One bad game and they can be on you. Jude just has to keep doing what he’s doing and stay focused.”
The remarks made by Rooney are similar to those made by former England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson 17 years ago.
Following Rooney's dismissal in their World Cup quarterfinal loss to Portugal, the Swede pleaded with supporters not to use him as a scapegoat in his farewell press conference as England manager in 2006.
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Eriksson said, "I think that you, much more than me, need Wayne Rooney. He is the golden boy of English football, so don't kill him.
"If he did it with intention or not, leave it - you need him for the qualification games and to win Euro 2008. I have no hard feelings."
The England legend has also used a similar statement made by Sven Goran-Eriksson and has begged fans not to destroy Jude Bellingham.
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