Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo impressed on his first England start on Tuesday against Belgium. It continued a meteoric rise in the game that has seen him go from a promising youth player to a regular starter in the Premier
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League and a senior England international in under six months.
The 18-year-old only made his first start for Manchester United in November 2023 but is currently on a run of 12 consecutive league starts for his club as manager Erik ten Hag noticed the player’s talent and has allowed it to develop in a first-team where a player of his ilk was much needed, regardless of age.
It could be a similar story for the England national team who are in need of a final piece to add to their midfield puzzle and now have a player in Mainoo who could fill that void.
In many ways, his full debut for his country showcased more of his potential than his nonetheless impressive displays for Manchester United have.
As Mainoo took the kick-off on his first England start, it was the first of 64 total touches, or more accurately actions, he would have in this international friendly game.
He has only had more than 64 touches once for Manchester United in the Premier League this season, away at West Ham, which was also the only game in which he managed more than the 46 passes he attempted for England in the 73 minutes he played against Belgium.
He was a lot more involved in the game for England than he has been for United.
Being with the national team showed a different side to Mainoo. He was playing alongside other quality players on the same wavelength and in a settled system under England manager Gareth Southgate.
Having only made his Premier League debut this season, there is not much to go off in terms of building a profile of what Mainoo the top-level senior footballer looks like.
Manchester United’s current status as a fairly average, mid-table-level attacking team can also make it difficult to assess Mainoo’s body of work.
He won’t be tripping many statistical alarms via the data and his average rating this season on the popular stats site FotMob stands at a fairly inconspicuous 6.82.
The England game was a better illustration of what he can bring to a top-level team—one that Manchester United hope to become once again.
He played a big role in England’s first goal. Though it came from the penalty spot, Mainoo’s patience and skill in midfield, keeping the ball away from defenders with his ball-carrying skill before finding a pass forward to Jude Bellingham, led to the foul on Ivan Toney in the area following Bellingham’s through ball.
Mainoo didn’t look out of place for England. It was easy to forget this was his first start for his country and only his second cap, and it’s worth reminding once again that he only made his first league start for United in November.
He can look out of place in the United midfield, though, but not in a bad way from his point of view.
United have spells in games where the midfield seems to disappear. It was the case for a long spell in their notable FA Cup quarterfinal win against Liverpool recently, but on those occasions Mainoo’s all-round ability, as he is forced to do the work of two or more players, becomes apparent, even if the stats don’t yet show it.
On that occasion against Liverpool, he helped United stay in the game and eventually come back to win against their rivals and progress to the FA Cup semifinals.
Once alongside the likes of Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Phil Foden—players operating at the highest level for clubs challenging for titles at home and on the continent—Mainoo fits right in.
It is here that he sees more involvement and is therefore able to showcase his talent in a more focused environment.
He looks like he could easily go on to become a top-class shuttling defensive midfielder, but there will be more to his game than this.
He also has the skill, vision, and dribbling ability to contribute in possession. He already looks like the perfect partner for Rice in a midfield pair—something England had been missing—but also able to move forward and link with Bellingham or the forwards when he sees fit.
“His attributes are there for everybody to see,” Southgate said after the game.
“That ability to receive under pressure and ride challenges, to manipulate the ball in tight areas.
“He gives us a different profile of midfield player to anything else we’ve got and we’re really pleased with what he’s done.
“He’s adapted and adjusted brilliantly. You can’t believe his age really. He’s taken it all in his stride.”
