Jurgen Klopp has hailed Jude Bellingham as ‘exceptional’ after his World Cup exploits.
Bellingham is expected to be high in demand this summer following a string of stellar performances for England during the finals in Qatar this month.
Liverpool are one of several European heavyweights said to be in the race for the Borussia Dortmund playmaker, who is expected to command a nine-figure fee.
But while Klopp cautioned against Bellingham’s development being defined by financial value, he remains effusive in praise for the teenage playmaker.
He said: “I don’t like to talk always about money when you talk about a player like Jude because I think everybody agrees he’s just exceptional for his age.
“Imagine someone who has no clue about football or knows about football but didn’t watch it for a while and has no clue about Jude Bellingham [if you asked] ‘how old do you think he is?’
“I think nobody would get close to his age because he plays that mature.
“He played an exceptional World Cup, absolutely exceptional. To describe him, I would say the things he can do already are difficult to learn.
“The things he has to improve are easy to learn and to improve. He’s a really good player, what can I say? I don’t say anything new.
“I thought that already since two or three years [ago] when he had his breakthrough at Dortmund.
“But I have no idea what that means for the money side of it. I really think if we all want to do him a favour then we just don’t talk too much about money.
“Don’t throw any hurdles in his development, that would be really cool, wherever he will end up.”