Kobbie Mainoo’s season had a belated start after he picked up a bad injury in preseason while Manchester United faced Real Madrid.
During pre-season 2023, Erik ten Hag was clearly preparing Kobbie Mainoo to be a star fixture of his midfield alongside Mason Mount.
This saw some success early on, with the two helping Manchester United to a 2-0 lead over Arsenal in the USA during their first-half performances.
But it was against Real Madrid on the tour, when Mainoo was forced to withdraw after an awkward collision led to him getting injured.
The injury kept the 18-year-old gem out for months before he finally got his first Premier League start in a career-making display against Everton.
Kobbie Mainoo set for awkward reunion
Three minutes into Mainoo’s game against Real Madrid in Houston last July, he was forced to exit the stadium on crutches with a protective boot.
It was a serious blow for him and the team, as it left him out for months when he was about to make his breakthrough.
The injury came about after Casemiro tripped his fellow Brazilian and Real Madrid winger Rodrygo who then couldn’t avoid colliding with Mainoo which led to ankle surgery.
This moment, at the time, was a massive blow, but now fast-forward eight months and Mainoo is thriving and set to make his senior England debut over the next week.
If his debut comes during this weekend’s friendly against Brazil, it could lead to an awkward on-field reunion with Rodrygo, the player who caused his injury.
That being said, we doubt there will be any hard feelings, with the incident a clear accident, but Mainoo would likely love to get one over on the winger by having England beat Brazil.
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Gareth Southgate simply couldn’t help himself after watching Mainoo single-handedly dismantle Liverpool’s midfield, and handed him a late call-up.
But he won’t be happy with just being in the squad, he’ll want to play and show Southgate he should be in the Euros squad.
If he plays this weekend or next week, he’ll become the 71st player from Manchester United to play for England, following in the footsteps of some of the club’s greats.
This will be a proud moment for United and for Ten Hag who will feel a sense of pride in bringing Mainoo through as it was clearly a long-term plan – stretching back to when the pair were spotted in conversation after the EFL final triumph.