Kovac was right about Jobe Bellingham's steady progress

Niko Kovac, now 54, has nearly 17 years of coaching experience and has overseen more than 400 matches. Early in the season he noted that young players typically need “three to six months” to settle at a new club and warned that people can be unfair when they expect immediate, huge leaps in development.

Those words proved apt for Jobe Bellingham. The 20-year-old, who joined from AFC Sunderland for over 30 million euros, endured a difficult start at Borussia Dortmund — substituted after 45 minutes on matchday one, caught up in a distraction involving his father, shuffled to the bench, involved in an incident in Munich, the subject of rumours about a winter exit and handed a controversial red card before Christmas.

He only played his first full 90 minutes at the end of October and initially struggled to adapt from the physically gruelling Championship to the faster, more technical Bundesliga. Kovac managed the situation calmly, saying early on: “I really have no concerns about him … We’re building him up slowly here.

Germany, Dortmund

jobe bellingham, niko kovac, borussia dortmund, sunderland, bundesliga, championship, transfer fee, red card, munich incident, substituted