Roy Keane urges Jobe Bellingham to 'enjoy' the opportunity at Sunderland

Jobe Bellingham is not short on suitors, with Real Madrid among his admirers. Roy Keane thinks Sunderland are the right club for him at the moment though.

Roy Keane says Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham ‘has a chance’ of following brother Jude Bellingham to the top of the game.

Jobe is having a breakthrough season this year after joining Sunderland from Birmingham in the summer, starting nearly every game and generally impressing when he does.

Those performances, and the Bellingham reputation, has seen him regularly scouted by Real Madrid, as well as being linked to clubs such as Tottenham and Liverpool.

Former Sunderland boss Keane sees the potential in Jobe and understands the pressure that will come with his surname, but he has urged the 18-year-old to ‘enjoy the great opportunity’ at the Stadium of Light.

“He's got a chance the kid,” Keane said of Jobe Bellingham on ITV before Sunderland’s FA Cup game last week. “The problem is obviously we're all going to be putting pressure on him.

"He's playing week in week out in Championship, which is never easy. The coach (Mike Dodds) is there. He's obviously got a good relationship [with him], that's going to help him settle into the club, the talk about his mentality is going to be huge. So it's a big opportunity for him.

"Yeah, he'll be getting plaudits from people like us who played the game. But he's got to stay level-headed, which he will do.

"That's where the family come into it don't be getting carried away. He's a young kid. He's learning his trade he's playing week in week out. Go and enjoy yourself."

Jobe Bellingham has already made 27 appearances for Sunderland this season in all competitions, scoring four goals. 

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