A manager’s caution when integrating young players into an established side is understandable – wise, even.

Such is the nature of high-level football management, jobs are on the line almost every time a team takes to the field. Blooding young players brings inevitable risk as they learn, develop and build experience in real time.

For much of his nascent England career, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham has been deployed cagily by Gareth Southgate. And this is not necessarily a point of criticism for the England manager. Bellingham was 17 when handed his senior international debut, in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in November 2020.

Since then, Bellingham has taken his cap tally to 17 – an impressive haul for a player so young, particularly given his position on the field, where mistakes can be costly and no quarter is given to still-developing teen prodigies.

But only eight of those caps have been earned via starts. And he has completed 90 minutes just five times. During England’s run to the final of last year’s European Championship, Bellingham made just three appearances, all of which as a substitute and none coming later than the 4-0 quarter-final demolition of Ukraine.

Bellingham has started each of his last three international outings, and he stood out as England’s best player in an otherwise drab 1-0 loss to Italy in September.

“The biggest thing is that he’s got a top-level mentality to compete,” Southgate told the media after the game. “Yes he’s got technical ability of course, and he’s got athletic prowess, but the thing that makes the difference with top players is the mentality that they’re never beaten and they drive the game. They don’t look like they’re phased by any occasion, and that’s what we’re seeing with him.”

With the World Cup rapidly approaching, Southgate’s recent use of Bellingham must be the beginning of a greater role for the 19-year-old if England are to have the best possible chance of success in Qatar – the former Birmingham City midfielder’s form this season demands no less.

Reeling from the loss of captain Marco Reus to another injury and the absence of big-money summer signing Sebastien Haller due to a testicular cancer diagnosis, Dortmund are under-performing in the Bundesliga this term, currently sitting fifth in the table.

But that is through no lack of endeavour or quality on Bellingham’s part. The young England star has already returned a career high goals tally, netting eight times in just 18 games, including four strikes in five Champions League appearances.

Bellingham has long possessed a knack for timing his off-ball runs into the penalty area and finding chances around the edge of the box, but now his vastly improved finishing ability and calmness in front of goal is seeing him make the most of those opportunities.

Some of his strikes this season have been entirely self-made, though, such as his weaving burst into the box and deft, outside-of-the-boot finish against Sevilla. Or, more recently, his sauntering dribble and deliciously curled 25-yard effort as part of a brace against Stuttgart.

Aside from the glamour business of goal-scoring, Bellingham is robust and ultra-competitive when engaging in the middle of the park, whether winning back the ball or shrugging off opposition challenges.

And despite the presence of more experienced team-mates, Bellingham has been handed the captain’s arm band in Reus’ absence several times this season by manager Edin Terzic, a glowing endorsement of the teenager’s maturity, confidence and ability to lead at such a young age.

“He was 17 when he arrived [at Dortmund] but it was not just about his quality, [it was] how he was leading, his kicking, going to the referee,” gushed Pep Guardiola after Bellingham scored in Dortmund’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad in September. “This guy was something special in terms of his mentality. Now he is 19 and he is already one of the captains. The quality, everybody knows it. The whole package is really good.”

“From day one, he has not shied away from taking responsibility in midfield,” Reus told The Guardian before the same fixture. “He never seemed to be intimidated by playing against 25-year-olds or really experienced players. I must admit I didn’t know too much about him when he came. But my first impression was that, while he was not yet a complete player, he already had something to his game in all aspects of his position that I had never seen before for a player of his age.

“At 19, he’s taking steps towards reaching his full potential, which will make him one of the best players in the game in two or three years’ time.”

When the World Cup begins this winter, it will be time for Southgate to rip off the ‘Handle with Care’ sign he’s hung around Bellingham’s neck, to remove the training wheels, to strip away the bubble wrap. Bellingham’s relentless talent and rapid development now not only demand that he is utilised in a manner befitting of a key player but that he is made the central piece of the Three Lions’ campaign in Qatar.

The 19-year-old’s comprehensive skillset, temperament and tenacity mean Southgate must begin with Bellingham and fit everything else around him.