Michael Gray names 'outstanding' Sunderland talent who is 'harshly dealt with'

Former Sunderland defender Michael Gray has heaped praise on “outstanding” Black Cats midfielder Jobe Bellingham, while also suggesting that the teenager is “harshly dealt with” by people who make comparisons between him and elder brother Jude.

The 19-year-old has established himself as a vital presence under Regis Le Bris this season, and has contributed four goals and three assists across 23 Championship outings from the centre of midfield. Moreover, Sunderland are still yet to win a game without him in their starting XI this term.

Bellingham’s performances have also been enough to attract the attention of several high-profile suitors, with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Borussia Dortmund all linked with the starlet in recent weeks. But despite his steep upwards trajectory, Gray is of the opinion that the Sunderland man is still underappreciated in some quarters.

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Speaking to Betfred, he said: “He [Bellingham] is young, he’s talented and I think he’s harshly dealt with at times because he’s judged alongside his brother Jude, who’s been sensational. I have no doubt in my mind that he’s a Premier League player in the waiting, if that’s where he wants to go. There’s a lot of clubs in Europe after him and Borussia Dortmund have been watching him on a weekly basis as well.

“I don’t believe he’s Sunderland’s best midfielder, I believe Chris Rigg is, but I believe he will stay until the summer because I don’t believe the club is going to sell players in January because they’ve got themselves into a great position, which people weren’t expecting them to be in. I’d have been very happy with a top half finish before the start of the season because of how young the side is.

“There’s no doubt that Jobe Bellingham is an outstanding talent. He’s got that movement that his brother’s got, he’s got an eye for goal, he’s certainly got an eye for a pass and he can jump straight into the Premier League. I hope he stays and I know the Sunderland fans expect him to stay, but wouldn’t it be nice if he can get promoted with them? Then he could move.”

The unfairness of Bellingham being measured by his sibling’s dizzying standards is something that Jude himself has spoken about in the past too. In an interview for his self-titled YouTube documentary series, the England talisman said: “The worry is that people judge him based on my achievements. But I'm really conscious of that because I know it's something that people will always throw in his face, and it's not fair because he's an amazing talent, amazing player in his own right. People will use him as a way to have a dig at me and vice versa, so we're almost like each other's biggest fans but also the biggest target for each other because we care about each other so much.”