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Jobe Bellingham sent warning by Dortmund boss as he struggles for game time
Sep 25 2025 08:39 · By Kostas Lianos/Kostas Lianos
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BORUSSIA DORTMUND manager Niko Kovac has explained why Jobe Bellingham has struggled for minutes this season.
Jobe, 19, followed in his star brother Jude Bellingham 's footsteps by joining the Real Madrid superstar's former club Dortmund during the summer following an initial £26.9million deal with Sunderland.
2 Borussia Dortmund ace Jobe Bellingham has struggled for minutes since his summer move Credit: Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Image
2 Dortmund boss Niko Kovac warned Bellingham he will have to 'grow' as a player Credit: Jan Fromme - firo sportphoto/Getty Images
Although the midfielder has played in all of BVB 's six matches, he has only managed a total of 221 minutes out of a possible 540.
Kovac, 53, initially suggested the reason why the England Under-21 international doesn't play as much as he wants is due to high competition within the squad.
The likes of Felix Nmecha and Marcel Sabitzer are ahead of Jobe in the pecking order.
Kovac told Kicker: “Everyone wants to play every minute, but then you only need 11 players.
“When you sign a contract here, it’s not only well paid but it also means that there’s a hell of a lot of competition."
Kovac insists Jobe "is a very talented player", but he “obviously comes from the English second division".
Therefore, the Croatian tactician suggested the ex- Birmingham City star is not quite up to the quality expected in the Bundesliga having spent four years in the Championship.
The ex- Bayern Munich boss appeared to have warned the youngster that he will have to "grow" as a player in order to catch up with the rest and meet the necessary requirements.
Kovac added:“[Jobe is a player] Who has great potential, but a player who naturally has to grow into the game here.
“You can’t make the mistake of applying too much pressure, despite the name.
"I think that’s not doing the boy any favours, and the boy isn’t doing himself any favours.”
Jobe amassed a total of 11 goals and four assists in 90 appearances during his two-year stint at Sunderland .