'The kid's got a lot of quality' - Niko Kovac insists Borussia Dortmund are 'building up' Jobe Bellingham amid controversy in Bundesliga

The 20-year-old was only named amongst the substitutes in Friday’s 1-0 victory over Augsburg, but only needed 30 minutes at the end of the game to showcase his talent. Bellingham has been confined to the role of a squad player for much of his first season in Germany and Kovac claimed that this is part of the club’s plan to help him acclimatise to the league which his older brother Jude lit up a few years ago.

Bellingham’s spot on the bench has been the root of much ire directed towards the Dortmund boss by the midfielder’s parents. Last month, it was reported that the midfielder had been left feeling “massively insecure” about his place at the club amid claims of a “dangerously tense atmosphere”. Earlier in the season, Mark and Denise Bellingham were allegedly banned from the Dortmund dressing room after an emotional confrontation with Kovac over their son’s importance in the squad.

Amid the noise, Bellingham has put his head down and is beginning to demonstrate why the club were so determined to bring him to Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund were not at the races against Augsburg, but got all three points thanks to a gritty defensive display. Despite the team’s drab display, Bellingham was able to add a bit of spark to the team and delighted his head coach.

Speaking after the game, Kovac explained why Bellingham has been shielded from pressure of starting every fixture. Speaking to Sky, via Kicker, Kovac explained: "We're building him up slowly here. I think it's even going faster than I imagined, because the lad really has a lot of quality.

"He's present, has good physical attributes, and possesses a playing quality that he also demonstrated in his 30 minutes here in Augsburg."

The public display of confidence in Bellingham from Kovac will do the midfielder the world of good. He was at fault for Bayern’s winner against the club last month and, despite being a star for Sunderland in the Championship last season, remains inexperienced at the highest level.

There is still work to do for Bellingham if he is to secure a regular spot in Dortmund’s midfield. He will have to oust one of Felix Nmecha, Pascal Gross or Marcel Sabitzer to claim one of the two spots available in the middle of Kovac’s favoured 3-4-3 formation.

Nmecha has been one of the club’s standout players in recent weeks and the latter pair offer deep experience and more balance to the Dortmund midfield. Yet, Bellingham could offer something slightly different for Kovac and could be one of the first names on the team-sheet sooner than many expect.

Bellingham will return to England for the first time since making the switch to the Bundesliga when Dortmund travel to take on Manchester City in the Champions League. The German side are unbeaten in the tournament so far and have dropped just two points from their three games. Their opponents on Wednesday have the exact same record, but a slightly inferior goal difference.

Bellingham and Dortmund will then turn their attentions back to domestic football. Their next Bundesliga challenge comes in the form of newly-promoted and high-flying Hamburg. It will not be an easy game in north Germany, but Kovac’s team will need to take all three points if they want to keep pace with runaway leaders Bayern Munich. Their rivals have won all nine league games this season and already have a five-point lead on Leipzig and a seven-point advantage over Dortmund. It will be difficult to stop Vincent Kompany’s record breaking side.

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