Jude Bellingham admitted he didn't know how Jack Grealish would take to him when they first met due to the Birmingham City and Aston Villa rivalry.

The midfielder came through the ranks at Blues and is a lifelong fan, which is well-known, whilst Grealish is a Villa supporter who broke through their academy to star for the first-team before moving to Manchester City.

And, speaking to TalkSPORT, Bellingham explained why the bitter Second City rivalry meant he wasn't sure about how Grealish would greet him when he was first called up by the Three Lions in 2020.

"The first encounter I had in the squad, I've come down for lunch and it's just been announced I'm with the senior team. Obviously I played for Blues and Jack played for Villa at the time and I always thought 'do you reckon it will be awkward? He's Villa and I'm Blues'.

"I've got no problem with him, I've never met him but could it be awkward, and I think it was the year after he had been punched in the back of the head, so who knows if he holds that grudge or whatever, so we've come to the lunch time and he's just given me a massive hug straight away and I felt that this is going to be sound."

The two will hope to be involved as England take on Senegal looking for a place in the last eight of the World Cup on Sunday.

The verdict

This is a funny insight from Bellingham and it also gives an insight into just how much the Birmingham derby means to him.

Of course, both he and Grealish were heroes at their clubs at the time but it's right that it's all forgotten when you go on international duty.

Now, Birmingham and Villa fans will be pulling together to support both players as they look to win the World Cup for England, which would be great for the whole country and the city.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.