Pep Guardiola thinks Borussia Dortmund move was perfect for 'the whole package' Bellingham

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has called Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham 'the whole package' but suggested his development could have been stifled had he stayed in England.

Bellingham, 19, has scored against City in each of his last two meetings with Dortmund, but in losing causes as Guardiola's side have come from behind in both cases, and will be close to causing more problems in Tuesday's Champions League clash.

Bellingham has followed the path of Jadon Sancho, who turned down a new contract with City to join Dortmund in 2017 when he left boyhood club Birmingham for Westphalia two years ago, but the decision has paid off thanks to the club's youth promotion policy.

Guardiola, who meticulously managed Phil Foden's development at City, suggested Bellingham would not have had the same opportunities at the east side of Manchester or any of the other big Premier League clubs.

"I think Borussia Dortmund is the perfect place for young talent," he said. "Maybe if Jude Bellingham was in England he would go to City, United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, maybe he wouldn't get the minutes. The best thing for a young player to be best is to play minutes.

"He was 17 when he arrived, but it wasn't just about his quality, the way he was leading, his kicking, going to the referee. This guy was something special in terms of mentality. He is now 19 and already one of the captains.

"Everyone knows quality. Everything is really good."

As Bellingham continues to be linked with a big money move to the Premier League, many City fans are hoping he will follow Ilkay Gundogan, Manuel Akanji and Erling Haaland in swapping Signal Iduna Park for the Etihad .

Inevitably, Haaland's return to Dortmund dominated the conversation at Monday's press conference, with Guardiola and defender Ruben Dias peppered with questions about the man who scored 17 goals in his first 11 appearances.

Dias can be grateful that the relentless fixture schedule means he rarely has to face Haaland in training, but he was clear on the challenge the 6ft5in Norwegian poses.

"When you talk about the relationship between striker and defender, it's all about margins," said the Portuguese. "Some guys, if it's 50-50 against them, you know you can win (the duel). With other guys, you need it to be 60-40 in your favor and at the top level 70 -30.

"Erling, you need it to be 100 for you, because if you go 99 with him, he can do something. He's that kind of striker."

With less than a month to go before the World Cup, several players will already have their eye on Qatar - but not Haaland because Norway did not qualify.

After scheduled friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Finland next month, Haaland can enjoy a long rest - a potentially scary thought if he enters the second half of the season fresher than the defenders he faces.

"He will be in Marbella for sure, or in Norway," Guardiola said. "It depends on how he behaves in Marbella in terms of his quality for the second half of the season. I hope he doesn't drink a lot, he doesn't eat a lot and he gets back in shape, then he can be perfect for the second half of the league.

"But it's the first time in our life (a winter World Cup) and we don't know how people will come back. Maybe some players will come back incredibly happy, some maybe depressed s 'they are eliminated in the round of 16, some have more holidays.

"We've seen how many injuries there are with this insane schedule... We'll see when they come back, we'll feel it, and then the daily routine will adjust."

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