Former Real Madrid striker Michael Owen has urged Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham to snub Real Madrid and move to the Premier League amid interest from Chelsea.
Bellingham has developed into a key player for England and Borussia Dortmund, with the 19-year-old now expected to be the subject of a big-money transfer next summer.
“I think he has to come back to the Premier League,” Owen told the Daily Telegraph.
“He has done very well in Germany and made that decision to leave Birmingham when he was very young so he would get the opportunity to play. Dortmund have a massive asset on their hands.
“The Premier League is the biggest and best league in the world, it is just a question of which club can afford him? There aren’t many around because he is a special, special talent. He’s going to be one of the best around.”
“He’s got attributes that make him a complete midfielder,” Owen added. “We don’t see him every week because he’s out in the Bundesliga but what struck me was how giving he is.
“By that I mean he plays for the team not himself. He does almost too much and at first I thought, ‘Jeez Jude, you’re wasting energy covering too much ground because of your inexperience.’
“I was wrong, the more I watch him, I love the way he plays. A lot of people when they become very good, it almost becomes uncool to do the hard yards and the stuff you don’t really get loads of praise.
“He is so grounded, he does good things, great runs and scores goals, but when players make a name for themselves they sometimes save their energy for the big, headline grabbing moments.
“He does the stuff managers and team-mates really notice. I hope he keeps the hunger to do all the c—py jobs as it were. He works his nuts off. I’ve fallen in love with him.”