Kobbie Mainoo in action during his England debut
Mainoo only made his Premier League debut in November of last year, but he has swiftly become one of Manchester United’s key players.
At the age of 18, the Manchester United midfielder has already made 23 competitive appearances for the club, and he now possesses a senior England cap.
Mainoo was initially named to the England Under-21s squad for the March fixtures, but he was later upgraded to the Three Lions squad for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Gareth Southgate brought Mainoo on in the 75th minute to replace Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher.
What did the English media say about Kobbie Mainoo’s England debut?
Despite only playing for 15 minutes plus stoppage time, the teenager demonstrated his talent and received accolades from various media sites.
Kobbie Mainoo makes England debut as the three Lions suffer a 1:0 defeat to Brazil.
For example, the Evening Standard reported: “Huge ovation when sent on for his debut late on.” Every bit as composed as advertised, with a beautiful turn in midfield.
Meanwhile, football.london noted, ‘Promising debut and produced some good runs, touches, and passes in his short cameo.’
BBC Sport stated in their match report that ‘Mainoo looked assured in his cameo’.
Mainoo received a 6 out of 10 rating from Goal.com, writing, ‘Had a couple of lovely touches during his 15-minute cameo on debut.’
And Squawka gave him a 6 out of 10, writing: ‘Didn’t appear out of place in the England midfield, but he was also fortunate not to have a moment of indecision right at the end contribute to a Brazil goal.’
It’s always exciting when an academy star makes it onto the first team, especially when the player is a generational talent.
Mainoo is almost as complete as a young player gets. And he is only at the very beginning of his profession. It will be wonderful to observe how he grows in the next years.
Declan Rice delivering the ball to Mainoo demonstrated a lot.
How did England do against Brazil?
While it was a memorable night for the Manchester United star, the England squad suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brazil.
Despite the fact that it appeared to be a goalless draw, another adolescent star, Endrick, stole the show that evening.
After Jordan Pickford denied Vinicius Jr.’s shot, the 17-year-old Selecao ace scored easily from close range.
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It was clearly not a match for the purists, as Jude Bellingham, a Three Lions talisman, was repeatedly penalized for fouls by the opponents.
England will look to rebound when they face Belgium at the same venue on Tuesday night.
