Patrick Bamford now shares what he noticed about Jude Bellingham in England training two years ago

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Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford says he could not believe how good Jude Bellingham was during his one international camp with England.

Bamford made his one and only international appearance for the Three Lions against Andorra back in September 2021 as a result of the form he showed in a Leeds shirt.

Speaking on the latest episode of the BBC’s ‘My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast’, Bamford recalls thinking how Bellingham had ‘literally everything’ even when he was only 18.

Bellingham has been a consistent part of the England squad since he was just 17 and it was towards the back end of 2021 when he was handed regular starts.

He has gone from strength-to-strength since then and is now seen among the best players in the world following his incredible start to life at Real Madrid, where he has 13 goals in 14 appearances.

Bamford admits left being blown away by Bellingham

Bamford believes even at just 18, Bellingham was already in the top three of England’s squad and says he has everything both technically and physically.

He said: “The first time I saw him play we were playing Birmingham away for Leeds in the Championship and I think I had a dead leg and I ended up doing the commentary for it. It was the first time I had seen him play and everyone was hyping him up and I thought he’s alright, he’s pretty good.

“When I went away with England I was like ‘okay wow’. Out of all the players who stood out with England he was in the top three. That was two years ago now. He has everything. Sometimes players are technically brilliant but they are not strong or quick but he literally has everything. He has the frame for it all.”

It feels a long time ago since Bamford was at the level where he was deserving of a place in the England squad, given how the last two years have gone.

Bamford is not even a starter at Elland Road these days and his recent penalty miss at Stoke City just shows how little confidence he is playing with compared to back then.

The 30-year-old could have a big opportunity to showcase what he can do tomorrow night at Rotherham United if Georginio Rutter misses out as expected.