Jordan Henderson is key to convincing Bellingham to join Liverpool as he admits whoever gets him will be ‘very lucky’.

JORDAN HENDERSON is certain: anyone who manages to pry Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund will feel like winning the lottery.

And he hopes Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has bought plenty of tickets.

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Reds captain Henderson has acted as a midfield mentor for Bellingham at every meeting with England for the past three years.

Now he is praying their close bond will be enough to convince the teenage wonder to move to Anfield amid stiff competition from all the top clubs in Europe.

At just 19, Bellingham has the footballing world at his feet, with Real Madrid, Chelsea, the twin giants of Manchester and Liverpool all battling for his signature this summer.

Since his Dortmund contract runs for two more years, it won’t come cheap.

Bids in excess of £100m are expected to be needed to convince the Bundesliga leaders to cash in.

Henderson said: “Whatever club gets him will be very lucky to have him.

“If it ends up being Liverpool, that would be great.

“But every club you can think of will want him. It has to be the right move for him because I just want him to be the best player he can be. So he has to think of himself and make sure he’s making the right decision for his career.

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“He’s doing so well at Dortmund, they’re a really good club who play Champions League football every season, which has really helped him.

“I’m sure he will sit down with his family and decide which path he wants to take because his potential has gone through the roof.”

32-year veteran Hendo is wary of adding to the hype already building around Bellingham.

The teenager became the third-youngest player in Three Lions history when he made his senior debut in November 2020 at the age of 17, shortly after his £20million summer move from Birmingham to Dortmund.

But Henderson has no doubts about the youngster’s ability to handle the pressure and joked about checking his birth certificate to make sure he’s really only 19.

The Liverpool skipper added: “Jude is a really special player and I honestly can’t believe how mature he is at his age. He can be as good as he wants because he has the right mentality, which is the most important thing.

“I’ve never seen the level of commitment he puts into training and games before.

“The way he plays, the way he behaves off the pitch, in the gym, he’s just so committed to football.

“In terms of mentality, we’re similar when it comes to dedicating our lives to trying to get better every day.

“But he’s a much better player than me at his age, that’s for sure.

“And I’m pretty sure he’ll be a special player for many years to come.

“But we still have to be careful not to put too much pressure on him and just let him play football.

“You can see what he does for Dortmund and for England – he gets better every time he puts on an England shirt.

“Of course there are things he can improve on, but he’s only 19 and the platform he has means he can go as high as he wants.”

That was a theme Bellingham took up himself when interviewed by his Anfield idol Steven Gerrard after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Ukraine.

Gerro, like Henderson, believes the youngster is a generational talent, saying: “He’s a lot further forward than I was at his age. I never had that power and strength until I was 23 and he’s more confident in possession than I am when it comes to what he’s going to try with the ball.”

But Bellingham stressed: “I still have so much to learn about how I want to be a midfielder who can win games at both ends of the field and dominate in the middle.

“I have the best chances for that in the dressing room in Dortmund and in England, because like a sponge I absorb everything that can help me.”

It is this willingness to learn that has particularly impressed England boss Gareth Southgate.

He said: “I don’t like to put pressure on young players because they already have a lot to deal with and it’s not my job to add anything to that.

“The good thing about Jude and Declan Rice is that they’ve already managed their clubs and that’s a great leadership experience because it puts them in situations that are a little outside of their comfort zone.

“I remember one of Wayne Rooney’s first games for England against Turkey and the intelligence he showed on the pitch.

“In terms of personality and how he carries himself, only Jew of that age is in the same class.”