Jude Bellingham is ready for the role Erik ten Hag wants him to take on at Manchester United

When a club 'cools' their interest in a player it is usually code for the player does not want to join them.

Manchester United 'cooled' their interest in Antoine Griezmann barely an hour after Atletico Madrid's transfer ban was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2017. Griezmann had promised to remain in Madrid in the event they were unable to recruit a replacement.

Last night, Liverpool had 'cooled' their pursuit of Jude Bellingham. The headline on one outlet has been adjusted to 'end' this morning. 'Cooled' was always code for 'ended'.

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With European ties at Anfield next season due to be held on Thursday evenings, it comes as no surprise Bellingham has gone cold on Liverpool. He had fluttered his eyelashes at them repeatedly; socialising with Trent Alexander-Arnold, liking his celebratory Instagram posts and deifying Steven Gerrard.

Only Bellingham is a ruthless decision-maker. United nor Chelsea could guarantee the 16-year-old fulfilling playing time when he had outgrown Birmingham in 2020, so he plumped for the halfway house of Borussia Dortmund.

Sources at United say they "rolled out the red carpet" for Bellingham. Key staff at Carrington remained on site to gladhand the teenager whose arrival merited the presence of Ed Woodward and Matt Judge. Woodward had claimed only five months earlier he no longer had "nothing to do with recruitment".

United had quietly initiated a succession plan for Paul Pogba and Bellingham was identified as a long-term heir. A United figure who met Bellingham noted his performances for England at the World Cup: "That's what we wanted Pogba to do." Pogba seldom did.

Erik ten Hag's admiration for