Jobe Bellingham faces early setback at Borussia Dortmund after following in Jude Bellingham's footsteps

Jobe Bellingham followed in his brother Jude Bellingham’s footsteps this summer, leaving the Championship to join Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

However, the 19-year-old has struggled to establish himself in Germany, starting just twice in Dortmund’s opening four league matches. Over the weekend, he was again on the bench, coming on for only 13 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg.

Dortmund sporting director calls for patience with Jobe Bellingham

Ahead of the match, Dortmund sporting director Lars Ricken addressed the situation. Speaking to DAZN, he said: “It is unfortunate that Jobe’s situation is discussed every three or four days before and after matches. The boy is only 19. He has already performed well at the Club World Cup. We do not think in terms of days or weeks; we think in years. Jobe has a five-year contract, and we are fully confident he will find his way here. We do not need to constantly talk about him before and after every game.”

Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac was also asked about Bellingham’s adaptation issues. He explained that the midfielder still needs time to settle into his role.

Kovac prefers the midfield pairing of Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha and started Pascal Gross against Heidenheim last week. All three are considerably more experienced than Bellingham, each having spent at least 12 months at Dortmund.

Bellingham at Dortmund: Family tensions and club concerns

Despite Kovac and Ricken defending the decision not to include Bellingham in the starting lineup, his lack of playing time has frustrated his father, Mark Bellingham. Last month, Jobe was substituted at half-time during a 3-3 draw with St Pauli, prompting a furious reaction from his father. His criticism of the club and sporting director Sebastian Kehl led to him being banned from entering Dortmund’s dressing room.

The situation has raised concerns within the club that the family may become increasingly restless if Bellingham’s game time continues to be limited. Although this represents a frustrating start to the season for the teenager, he is expected to receive more opportunities, particularly as Dortmund compete in both the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal.

The club hope their €30m (£26.1m) investment will pay off, as Bellingham became Dortmund’s second most expensive signing in history. By comparison, Jude Bellingham became the most expensive 17-year-old in history when he joined Dortmund for £28m (€32.2m). Ricken and Kovac continue to emphasise patience regarding the teenager’s development.

This article was originally published on Fotbal Portal.