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Jude Bellingham can be England's 'X factor' at the World Cup, says Jordan Henderson (Richard Pelham)
Jude Bellingham can be England's "X factor" at the World Cup as Thomas Tuchel's men chase a first major trophy for 60 years, Jordan Henderson said on Sunday.
England are among the favourites for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States after a string of near-misses at recent European Championships and World Cups.
Henderson, speaking at England's Kansas City base, tipped fellow midfielder Bellingham, 22, to have a "big impact" over the next few weeks.
The former Liverpool star said Real Madrid's Bellingham had made huge progress since his international debut as a 17-year-old in 2020.
"How much he's grown as a player and as a person since then is incredible, really," said Henderson.
"I had a good idea when I first saw him playing and training and the way he was. But what he's done so far at such a young age, I think everybody forgets how young he is, even me really sometimes."
The Brentford player added: "I honestly couldn't speak highly enough of him. I know a lot gets written in the media. I find it hard to read sometimes, really, because I just know how big an influence he is on this team, how good a teammate he is off the field.
"And what he gives us is just something really special, really. I think he really gives us the X factor in our team.
"He's had big moments in his career. He's a big-game player. He's got experience in tournaments. So he's a huge, huge player for us in this tournament."
England face a stiff test against Croatia in their Group L opener in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday.
Henderson admitted Croatia, who were runners-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and third in Qatar in 2022, would pose a tough test, picking out the threat of fellow veteran Luka Modric, who is 40.
"For me, he's probably the best I've played against in my career midfield-wise," he said. "I think his career speaks for itself.
"I think he's a top world-class player, so hard to play against... I'm a big, big fan of his and hopefully he doesn't perform as well as we know he can against us."
England's other opponents in Group L are Ghana and Panama.
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