Kobbie Mainoo made his England debut against Brazil (Photo: Getty)
Bruno Fernandes lead the praise for Manchester United wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo after his impressive England debut.
Just days after his late call-up to the senior squad, 18-year-old Mainoo made his Three Lions bow in the 1-0 friendly loss to Brazil on Saturday night.
The midfielder came on in the 75th minute, replacing Conor Gallagher, and though England would go onto concede the decisive goal just minutes later, he made a great impression.
He showed great composure, completing all 20 of his passes, and slotted into Gareth Southgate’s midfield nicely, with many fans and pundits hopeful he’ll go to Euro 2024.
After the game, Mainoo posted on Instagram: ‘Special feeling making my senior England debut at Wembley and in front of my family.
‘A moment I will never forget. Now we bounce back and refocus for Tuesday.’
Mainoo’s call-up comes after a brilliant few months for United, with club captain Fernandes among those to hail the teenager, with the Portugal star replying to Mainoo’s post with: ‘First of many.’
United and England defenders Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire added: ‘What a player’ and ‘deserved mate.’
Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are nailed on starters for England, and there is hope that Mainoo could be the missing piece in Southgate’s midfield.
The Arsenal star also replied to the post with: ‘Many more to come! Congrats bro.’
As for the Three Lions boss himself, Southgate said of Mainoo’s cameo: ‘Kobbie was a chance to dip his toes.
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‘We needed to refresh some of the team because we’ve got to manage their minutes a little bit, so that’s a strange situation when it’s a game of that size but that’s where we are.
‘To get Kobbie on the pitch was a brilliant moment for him and his family. You saw a couple of turns and a couple of really composed moments that is a bit of an indication of what he might become.’
Mainoo will be hoping to win his second cap on Tuesday night, when England take on Belgium in what is the final game before Southgate selects his 23-man squad for the Euros.
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