'Scary' Jobe Bellingham prediction as Sunderland dressing room reaction emerges

Jobe Bellingham's influence on the Sunderland dressing room is continuing to grow despite his tender years - even if he is still just a teenager.

Former Sunderland forward Michael Bridges has heaped praise on the youngster insisting 'the future he has is scary', while another pundit has pointed to the reaction inside the Black Cats changing room when the player is around.

Bridges started his career on Wearside and was a big hit in the Premier League during his time before he moved to Leeds United. The 46-year-old later returned for another two spells with the Black Cats, first on loan from Bolton Wanderers and then in a permanent deal.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Bridges was full of praise for Bellingham, who returned against West Brom on Tuesday night after serving a three-match suspension following his red card in the 0-0 draw against QPR earlier this month

He said: “When he is in the team they tend to get more points, they get more goals, and without him he has been a massive miss. They talk about having that bit of experience and he brings that even though he is still young and that’s what Sunderland is all about.

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“His energy levels, being able to go from box to box to join the attack and getting himself involved, means he scores goals and makes assists but his defensive attitude is brilliant. For instance that late goal at Millwall wouldn’t have happened if he was in the side.

“The influence that this man has and the future he has is scary to think about. There’s talk of his brother [Jude] at Real Madrid and some are saying he could be even better. So Sunderland have got a diamond and they have to maximise that.”

Meanwhile, his punditry colleague Rob Earnshaw spoke of Sunderland learning from mistakes - with Bellingham tipped to have a key role in the dressing room.

He added: “It is a young team, with young faces, different experiences in the team. Sometimes you learn from your mistakes. Giving late goals away when you end up drawing, when you go in the dressing room it feels like a loss. Consistency comes from learning from that.

"The good thing is they are still in a good position in the league. The consistency will come as they grow in stature.

"It’s like Jobe Bellingham has grown so much from last year. Him coming back lifts the dressing room.”