Liverpool loanee James Balagizi has shared his thoughts on playing with the senior squad at his parent club and shared some insight into Jude Bellingham, who is one of his close friends since their time together at the Youth level of the national team.
"I used to watch clips of Thiago. I used to watch him when he was at Bayern Munich but now to think I can see what he’s doing in real life, I can’t put it into words how good it is to learn up close.
"Virgil van Dijk is so hard to get past, his passing range is just ridiculous," he says. "Like his passes, how is he able to get them on the money every time?! Thiago and Fabinho too, you try to press them and they beat it with a drop of the shoulder or a turn. It’s incredible.
"I’m just a normal kid who loves football and now I’m here with all these world-class superstars, it's so unreal. But when you’re there you just have to compete the best you can. Of course, there’s still that element of idolisation, I’m a football fan as well as a footballer."
"He’s so complete, it’s just crazy," says Balagizi about his close friend Jude Bellingham. "He inspires others to go out and maximise our potential and he’s doing that on the biggest stage right now. He’s so inspiring to me because that’s where I want to be in the future as well."
