Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he's been shocked by how potent Jude Bellingham has been in front of goal for Real Madrid.
Bellingham was once again in electric form this weekend, scoring a brace in an emphatic 4-0 win for Madrid over Osasuna at the newly-refurbished Santiago Bernabeu. The brace included the England superstar's ninth and tenth goals in his first ten games for Madrid since joining from Borussia Dortmund, astonishingly equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's record of ten in ten games to start his Los Blancos career.
The midfielder sits atop of the La Liga goalscoring charts with his eight goals in league play alone - a tally that already equals his career-best league tally scored during the 2022/23 season at Dortmund.
Speaking to the press after the win, Madrid manager Ancelotti admitted Bellingham's goalscoring prowess has come as a welcome surprise to the club.
He said: "Bellingham is his usual self. He's finding a lot of opportunities in attack and the fact that he doesn't have a fixed position on the pitch, he does a lot of damage to opponents and nobody expected this level in terms of goals.
"It's easier to study and analyse a player who has his position fixed and he doesn't, so the truth is that it's very difficult to defend him well."
Ancelotti also insisted the club were "lucky" to sign "such a spectacular player" despite interest from top Premier League clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool during the summer.
"He's very good and has adapted very well. We as a club, and the fans, are lucky to have signed such a spectacular player. His maturity is remarkable, he makes us forget that he is only 20."
England will be hoping Bellingham takes his club form into international football this week when the Three Lions take on Australia and Italy - the latter game being a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Carlo Ancelotti admits surprise at Jude Bellingham's record-breaking start at Real Madrid.