Manchester United have been blessed by the club’s academy unearthing another gem, and now England are benefitting too.
I was reluctant to see England select Kobbie Mainoo, from a purely selfish perspective. Much better surely to save his talents for Manchester United. But I can’t deny that the whole experience will have been brilliant for him.
Mainoo was voted man of the match in England’s draw with Belgium, and was praised by manager and teammates after the game.
The midfielder’s rise has been remarkable and it seems, unstoppable. There is no holding him back with a place at Euro 2024 now looking inevitable.
David May talks up Kobbie Mainoo
While there is that aspect, which makes you worried about the impact Mainoo’s time with England could have on United, it’s also an achievement to be cherished.
He is one of three Manchester United teenagers to debut for England in the past eight years, an unparalleled achievement even in the club’s own history.
Mainoo’s exploits for the Three Lions were discussed on MUTV’s The Debate, with former centre-back David May speaking highly of what he saw of the midfielder this past week.
May said: “Against Brazil the last 15 to 20 minutes I thought he was excellent. Then to make his full debut against Belgium, I thought he was absolutely outstanding. I thought he was probably our star man. I thought he was absolutely exceptional.
“He just oozes confidence. You know, nothing fazes him. He was a massive part of the first goal that England scored.
“He’s just an unbelievable player with an incredible level headed mind, such a young age 18.
“He has got the world at his feet is he is going to be absolutely sensational. He really is.”
Erik ten Hag will handle Mainoo’s rise
Part of the challenge is now to keep Kobbie Mainoo’s feet on the ground. There is a huge amount of attention on him, more than before since his England appearances.
As May points out, Mainoo has shown so far that he is very level-headed, and there should not be some confidence that he won’t be unduly affected.
Erik ten Hag will also know how to handle all this too. He has overseen the rise of Dutch prodigies Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, and has helped Alejandro Garnacho‘s journey to prominence.
Mainoo’s problem is that he ‘too good’, that Manchester United can’t seem to afford to leave him out. This will be a challenge for the manager to negotiate, with three games upcoming during an eight-day span.