Alejandro Garnacho did his chances of earning a place in Argentina’s Copa America squad no harm at all with another strong display, this time against Costa Rica.

This was the first time the United man had represented his national side from the start and it will surely be an incredibly proud moment for him and his family.

The United starlet made a strong impression off the bench against El Salvador but this time, he got the chance to show off his numerous talents from the off, and did not disappoint.

He played 71 minutes, as his side came from 0-1 down, to win 3-1.

The World Champions once again dominated the ball as they enjoyed 75% of possession and took 23 shots to Costa Rica’s seven.

Just like the player has transformed himself from an impact bench player to a bona fide starter for his club, he will be hoping his performances this international break will begin to plant the seed in Lionel Scaloni’s mind.

The 19 year old started on his favourite left wing and was given a credible 7.3 for his performance from Sofascore.

The youngster was a threat on Keylor Navas’ goal as he forced two saves from the experienced keeper.

As you would expect, he used his potent combination of electric speed and close to control to dribble at his opponents and completed two of his four dribble attempts successfully.

Garnacho also put in a controlled performance on the ball, as he had 57 touches and managed to complete 33 out of his 38 passes.

This led to an impressive passing accuracy of 87% and crucially he was able to contribute two key passes during the match.

His passing accuracy was also highlighted by the completion of his three long balls.

Another impressive feature that the 2022 Youth Cup winner has added to his game this season, is his defensive work rate.

He won six out of his 12 ground duels against a team that had very little of the ball to begin with.

Garnacho will be satisfied with gaining two more caps for the South Americans and will certainly believe he has done enough to make the Copa America squad for the summer.

Only a strong finish with Manchester United will help achieve this as the winger attempts to reach double figures in goals for the first time in his career, as he is currently on seven strikes in this campaign.

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Scott McTominay and Scotland were left frustrated by a stubborn Northern Ireland side who ran out 1-0 winners at Hampden Park.

It was the first win for Northern Ireland against Scotland since 1983 and the first in Glasgow in half a century.

The home side absolutely dominated the ball with a mammoth 83% possession but despite having more shots on goal, they rarely carved out any real chances of quality.

McTominay was involved early on in the proceedings as he drove at the Northern Ireland defence and was taken down by fellow United academy graduate, Paddy McNair.

However, he failed to impress with a rare opportunity from the free kick he won, as his effort cannoned back off the wall.

The rest of the half was relatively quiet for the United midfielder as he was frustrated by a disciplined Northern Irish back five.

He did however have a long range shot which fizzed wide of Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s goal in the 43rd minute.

The United midfielder continued to cut a frustrated figure throughout the second half as he got into more than one argument with the highly impressive Northern Irish fullback, Trai Hume.

McTominay was awarded a decent score of 7.2 from Sofascore and he was incredibly efficient with the ball, completing 32 out of his 35 passes.

The midfield man had 46 touches but in the context of his side dominating the ball so much, it was a poor return as he faded in and out of the game.

The 27-year-old had a frustrating night in front of goal as he failed to have a shot on target and had two blocked efforts.

He was successful in terms of ground duels, winning all six of his efforts.

The United man also completed his two dribble attempts in the first half.

However, despite finishing the night as captain, boos rang around Hampden Park as Northern Ireland held on for a famous win.

Scotland must now wait until June to right the wrongs of this result as they prepare for the start of their Euro 2024 adventure.

McTominay will hope to bounce back and play as important a role on Saturday against Brentford as he did in October, when he scored a brace that gave the Red Devils all three points.

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Though Mainoo earned his first cap on Saturday after coming off the bench against Brazil, he went one better tonight as the Three Lions faced off against Belgium in a friendly.

Selected by Gareth Southgate alongside Declan Rice, who captained the England for the first time on his 50th appearance, and Jude Bellingham, the 18-year-old was not phased by the magnitude of the moment in the slightest. If anything, he appeared to thrive in it.

England suffered an early set-back after Jordan Pickford’s mistake gifted Youri Tielemans an open goal, which the Aston Villa midfielder duly took full advantage of. 0-1. The Three Lions did not panic, however, and, six minutes later, Ivan Toney levelled proceedings, courtesy of a penalty won by the Brentford striker himself.

Mainoo was the architect of the move, brilliantly dancing through the Belgian midfield, after slowing on the ball to bait Tielemans, before promptly accelerating away from the Villa man. It was the type of skill associated with midfielders born in Barcelona, rather than Stockport.

The 18-year-old’s burst allowed him to find Jude Bellingham in space, who then played Toney in. Former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Jan Vertonghen rushed in to try and stop Toney, but only fouled the striker in the process.

The referee awarded a penalty and, after a quick VAR check, Toney converted from the spot. 1-1.

Mainoo continued his impressive debut for the remainder of the first-half, offering intelligent passes and skilful touches. He was less involved than he has been at the heart of United’s midfield in recent weeks, but this is understandable for a young player on the international stage for the first time; particularly when he’s alongside the established pairing of Bellingham and Declan Rice.

At half-time, Jill Scott – the former England international turned pundit – revealed how “impressed” she was with Mainoo’s “intelligence” and “link-up play”. Similarly, former Chelsea star Joe Cole paid tribute to the “balance” the trio of Rice, Mainoo, and Bellingham offered, with the United star key to this. “He was fantastic”, Cole concluded.

There were three stand out moments from Mainoo’s first-half performance, outside of his role in creating Toney’s penalty.

The first, when Mainoo lost the ball after an errant pass but aggressively tracked back to win the ball, tackling two Belgian players in the process, was a stand out. The second, an excellently timed press to nip in and win the ball ahead of Amadou Onana – the Everton man linked with a move to United himself – only for Bellingham to blaze the ball over from the chance. And the third, a cheeky nutmeg on Onana, who will likely be glad to not have to face the youngster again this season; though if the rumour mill is to be believed, the pair may be lining up alongside each other at Old Trafford next season.

Belgium regained the lead towards the end of the half after another mistake – this time by Lewis Dunk. Former United striker Romelu Lukaku capitalised on the error, delivering a brilliant cross with the outside of his foot for Tielemans to score his second with a well-taken header. 1-2.

The second-half involved much of the same – intelligent use of the ball, intelligent pressing, and intelligent positioning. Though Mainoo was quieter than the first-half, as England were worse in general, he was still positive; the type of performance which belies his age, but one which has become customary in his breakout season.

At one point it looked like Mainoo may even get his first goal, but Mats Sels – the goalkeeper for Belgium and Nottingam Forest – made a good save to deny him a dream moment.

In the 73rd minute, the United starlet was substituted for James Maddison – the applause from a subdued Wembley crowd was the loudest moment of the second-half until that point. Rob Green, the co-commentator on Channel 4, encapsulated the performance when he remarked that the 18-year-old had “walked into the midfield and taken over at times”.

A last-minute goal by Bellingham spared Southgate’s blushes to draw England level, though this performance will do little to assuage concerns about the manager’s ability to get the best out of this group.

There has been much talk of the best option to partner Rice and Bellingham at Euro 2023 this summer. Kalvin Phillips has lost his place this season at club level and international level, while neither Jordan Henderson nor Connor Gallagher have impressed in his place. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been trialled in the position with little success. It was a question without an obvious answer.

Tonight, Mainoo provided just that. Whether Southgate has the metaphorical cojones to realise it is another matter altogether.

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Sweden and Victor Lindelof bounced back from their mauling at the hands of Portugal to beat Albania 1-0 in their last friendly of the spring.

In an evenly contested game, the Albanians enjoyed the majority of the first half danger moments as they scored an offside goal and thought they had won a penalty early on, but no decision was given.

However, Lindelof’s side got themselves more involved and hit the post in the first half and scored what would prove to be the winner in the 62nd minute through Gustaf Nilsson.

The Swedes had eleven shots to eight but limited their opponents to only one shot on target during the whole game.

The Scandinavians also shaded possession with 51% in favour of the home side.

Lindelof had a nightmare versus Portugal, where he and his fellow defenders were run ragged by a world-class display by Bruno Fernandes.

However, with a score of 7.3 from Sofascore, he was back to his more solid self yesterday.

The Swedish captain was a calming presence at the back and largely dealt with what was thrown his way.

He made three clearances and blocked one goal bound effort.

Lindelof was also strong in the duels, winning 75% of his ground battles and 67% of his aerial tussles.

The centre back also showed remarkable control, as he only gave away one foul all evening, as he looked to show new coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson, that he is the right player to continue leading his nation in the new era.

The 29 year old was also very solid on the ball as he had 64 touches and completed 89% of his passes.

His distribution was not only safe but also threatening, as he completed one key pass in the match.

The Blågult have now finished their international commitments and will have to wait until the 5th June when they take on Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen’s Denmark in a warm-up match before the Euros start.

Unfortunately for Lindelof, neither he nor Sweden will be part of the summer action. He will instead focus his efforts on winning a regular place back in United’s first team as the Red Devils aim to win the FA Cup and finish in the Champions League spots.

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