Tea and biscuits with England’s new superstar Jude Bellingham

The pair formed a good relationship when they were together at Blues when Bellingham was still a player there, and Pearce worked for Blues before moving to Salop this summer.

Pearce remembers the first time he saw the youngster when he was a young boy, and he said as he grew up, he would always find him in the kit room raiding his tub of biscuits.

He said: “The kit room does become a bit of homing point that all the players converse on.

“It might not be agreed by sports science, but there is a tub of biscuits in my room.

“And you don’t want to name-drop, but Jude Bellingham would always be in my room having a biscuit at the end of the day.”

He made his first appearance for Blues came when he was just 16 years and 38 days old before signing for Borussia Dortmund for £25million.

And now he is performing on football’s biggest stage playing a starring role in his country’s World Cup campaign in Qatar.

He has started all three games and impressed with his dynamic displays.

Pearce is not surprised to see how well he is doing, and he says part of it is down to how well the 19-year-old has been brought up by his parents.

He said: “I could not speak any higher of him – I met him the first time when he was nine or 10.

“I am so pleased with how it’s turning out for him, me and my son are due to go to Dortmund in January to watch him play.

“The family are superb, and Jude is 100 per cent the way he is through his mum and dad.

“He is one of the best I have ever had to deal with. The kit becomes that room is just that room that everyone comes in.”