Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo delivered a mature performance at the heart of England’s midfield on his first start for his country at Wembley this evening.
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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