Harry Maguire has explained what he told one of his teammates about Kobbie Mainoo when the youngster first joined senior training at Manchester United.
Kobbie Mainoo has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career and this week has seen him soar even higher after he was called up to the England squad.
Gareth Southgate initially decided to leave the 18-year-old out to not rush his development but changed his mind after the thrilling victory over Liverpool.
Mainoo was instead promoted from the Under-21s and could make his debut in the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
The Manchester United starlet has become the name on every England supporter’s lips overnight but those close to the club have been aware of his immense talent for years.
Harry Maguire considers himself among that group and was blown away by his ability when he first trained with Erik ten Hag’s side.
Harry Maguire explains what he first thought about Kobbie Mainoo
Maguire said, via The Sun: “I’ve been a massive fan of Kobbie’s since he first started training with us.
“I remember talking toTom Heaton about him and I was saying, ‘I feel like this boy has got everything’.
“He can handle the ball brilliantly. He’s really strong, powerful, and you can see his progression to play that No 6 role, especially for United.
“The ‘six’ role is a huge responsibility and I’m sure the positional part of his game will improve drastically.
“You’ve seen the amount of ability and talent he has, and he fully deserves his call-up.
“A role and responsibility for the senior players at Manchester United is to bring through academy players.
“The club is always built on giving opportunities to youngsters, we have numerous of them training with us a lot, we try to make them feel welcome and we have done that to Kobbie.”
A huge chance for Kobbie Mainoo
Mainoo now has a huge chance to insert himself into Southgate’s starting XI for Euro 2024.
The Three Lions boss likes to have two defensively-minded players in his midfield trio but his usual go-to’s, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson, have seen their levels drop significantly over the last two years.
There are few other options to join Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham in the middle, but Mainoo has emerged at the perfect time to take the spot.
Southgate usually doesn’t like adding new elements to his squad just before a tournament, often leaving in-form players out if they haven’t been involved much previously.
Even Phillips had played eight times before he was given a starring role at Euro 2020.
Mainoo will have just two games to prove his worth before the squad for this summer’s tournament is announced and, if he takes them, he just might buck the trend and book his ticket.