sport news Jude Bellingham's former Birmingham City youth coach reveals why he wears ... trends now
Jude Bellingham's former youth team coach has revealed the reasoning behind his donning of the number 22.
The Birmingham-born midfielder has been a revelation for England in Qatar, putting in a string of impressive performances to aid their march to the quarter-finals.
His performances, however, have left fans wondering why he wears the number 22 - and not, perhaps, one of football's more established first team numbers.
Jude Bellingham has been a revelation for England - but many fans have been left wondering why he wears 22
Dodds told talkSPORT: 'He would have been about 13 or 14 and like most boys that age, they want to be a No 10.
'And I remember, we sat down with him and we said, "we think you’re doing yourself a disservice, we think you can do all of it".
'So we came up with, "we think you can be a 22'. His eyes lit up and we knew we had hooked him from then on in!'
Dodds coached Bellingham and was the club's head of academy.
Bellingham has been deployed centrally for much of his career, with his range of passing and ability to carry the ball long distances serving sides well.
The midfielder has been imperious for England - putting in a string of impressive performances
However, his versatility is such that it has been suggested he could be deployed deep in midfield or even further up the pitch, perhaps in a false nine-type role.
'We said we thought he could be a holding midfielder, or a four. We thought he could be a box-to-box, which is an eight. And we thought he could be a scorer and a creator, so a 10,' Dodds said.