Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac has delivered a brutal message to Jobe Bellingham as the summer signing continues to struggle for minutes.
Bellingham joined amid great fanfare from Sunderland earlier this year, having played a key role in the Black Cats’ playoff success over Sheffield United back in May.
His Championship performances caught the eye of Dortmund, who beat off competition from Premier League and Bundesliga sides to sign the younger brother of ex-Dortmund man Jude.
Bellingham started three of the club’s five Club World Cup games, missing the quarter-final meeting with Real Madrid through suspension.
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And having started the club’s opening two league games of the season, the 20-year-old has featured from the bench in recent weeks as Dortmund beat Heidenheim and Wolfsburg, and drew with Juventus in the Champions League.
Kovac issues stark warning to summer signing
Head coach Kovac has warned Bellingham that he is ‘not doing himself any favours’ having been dropped.
When asked about Bellingham’s playing time, Kovac told Kicker, as quoted by talkSPORT: "Everyone wants to play more. Everyone wants to play everything. But then you only need 11 players.
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"When you sign a contract here, it's not only well-paid, but it also means there's a hell of a lot of competition."
Kovac also believes that brother Jude’s success in Germany is impacting the summer signing, adding: "You can't make the mistake of applying too much pressure, despite the name.
"I think that's not doing the boy any favours, and the boy isn't doing himself any favours."
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Jude was a key man for Dortmund after joining from Birmingham at the age of 17 and has become a mainstay in the Real Madrid XI after swapping Germany for Spain in 2023, helping Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League glory in his first season at the Bernabeu.
Bellingham makes headlines for the wrong reasons
Jobe, meanwhile, is hoping to return to the Dortmund starting XI for Saturday’s game against Mainz as Kovac looks to continue his side’s unbeaten start to the season.
His lack of playing time won’t sit well with the midfielder’s family, who have already worked their way into Dortmund’s bad books after the player’s father, Mark, criticised the club and sporting director Sebastian Kehl.
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The elder Bellingham has since been banned from the club’s dressing room, while Dortmund are concerned Jobe’s lack of playing time may see his family become ‘increasingly restless’ if he is unable to break back into the starting XI.
Bellingham has come under scrutiny for his performances in Germany so far, with ex-Liverpool and Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann of the opinion that Dortmund overspent for the youngster.
“I spoke to people in Great Britain, and they said they paid far too much money for him,” Hamann told German publication BILD earlier this month.
Topics: Borussia Dortmund, Niko Kovac, Football, Bundesliga, Champions League, Sunderland
Ben McAleer