Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo performed brilliantly on his full debut for England at Wembley this evening.
The 18-year-old earned his first cap on Saturday night against Brazil, but he went one better after being granted his first start under Gareth Southgate against Belgium.
It didn’t come as a surprise that Mainoo showcased his maturity throughout his performance. United fans are already aware of the talent we’ve got on our hands with Mainoo, but for England fans, it must have come as an eye-opener.
On the night, England suffered an early setback after Jordan Pickford’s mistake gifted Youri Tielemans an open goal. England scored an equaliser six minutes later following a penalty by Ivan Toney, although Mainoo played a key role in the attack which led to that spot kick.
Mainoo thrived in a midfield trio of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, and former England striker Gary Lineker believes the youngster has staked a claim to be in Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024.
Lineker took to X and wrote: “A superb first start by Kobbie Mainoo for @England. He’s not only played himself into the squad for the Euros but quite possibly the starting lineup. Well played young man.”
Mainoo’s overall performance was worthy of plaudits and we can only see it resulting in more talk about him going to the European championships in Germany this summer. He played 74 minutes and came off the pitch with an 89% pass success rate.
The Three Lions will be looking for better results in Germany after losing 1-0 against Brazil and drawing 2-2 with Belgium.
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