Birmingham City coach James Beattie says that the club's 16-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham must be careful when it comes to deciding on a potential transfer away from St Andrew's.

Following an impressive breakthrough campaign at senior level for the Blues this season, it has recently been reported that Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are both planning to make bids of over £30million for the teenager.

But while the chance to move to one of those European giants is surely an appealing one for the teenager, Beattie believes Bellingham has much to consider before deciding on a move.

Speaking about Bellingham and the midfielder's future, Beattie was quoted by Birmingham Live as telling Sky Sports: "Jude's a very good player. He's a very nice young man as well, which is very important. He's a good person - but potential is a dangerous word.

"I think if Jude keeps his feet on the ground and keeps developing, then he'll be a very, very good player.

"I just think there's a lot of pressure on him at the moment. He handles it very well and I just think he needs the right sort of people around him giving him the right sort of advice.

"Like I say, if he keeps his feet on the ground and his head strong, which he's more than capable of doing.”

Discussing how Bellingham should deal with the transfer rumours currently emerging around him, Beattie added: "Jude’s best advice is to just concentrate on his football, let that do the talking, and then when it comes to the decision, makes sure it's a decision that he's happy with, and that he's not making the decision on behalf of somebody else."

So far this season, Bellingham has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham, scoring four goals and providing two assists.

The Verdict

I do think Beattie is right here.

While you can understand the interest there is in Bellingham here, with none of the big clubs likely to want to miss out on a potential superstar, the situation is rather different for the player himself.

Unlike the position he is currently in at Birmingham, Bellingham is unlikely to be a guaranteed starter at either United or Dortmund, and given his lack of experience at that level and his age, that could be the same for some time.

That could then possibly lead to Bellingham's career stagnating somewhat, meaning he must be certain that any move he makes is right for him before he agrees to it.