Birmingham City boss tells Bellingham to stay focused

Birmingham City teenager Jude Bellingham has been asked by Pep Clotet to ignore interest from Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.

Birmingham City's Jude Bellingham.

Birmingham City head coach Pep Clotet urged teenage sensation Jude Bellingham to ignore interest from Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham is enjoying a brilliant debut season as a professional with Birmingham — the 16-year-old linked to Premier League giant United and Bundesliga powerhouse Dortmund.

The teenager reportedly toured United's training ground on Monday, having been tipped to join fellow Englishman Jadon Sancho at Dortmund next season. However, Spanish boss Clotet told Bellingham to stay focused on his task at hand with Championship outfit Birmingham.

'Matured and focused'

"I always thought he is very mature and very focused — but he has to be," Clotet told reporters.

"Because he cannot be thinking about other things than Birmingham City — and I am sure he is only thinking about Birmingham City. That's the feeling I get from him, when I speak to him and work with him."

Bellingham — who became Birmingham's youngest ever player in 2019 — has scored four goals in 32 Championship appearances this season.