Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has dropped his telling prediction for Kobbie Mainoo after the Manchester United midfielder’s first start for England on Tuesday.
Kobbie Mainoo was called up to the England squad for the March international break and the Manchester United star made his debut in the 1-0 defeat against Brazil.
Despite being on the receiving end of a defeat to Brazil, Mainoo impressed with his superb second-half cameo for England at Wembley in the international friendly.
Mainoo, who is having a breakout season at Old Trafford, was initially snubbed for the England squad before Gareth Southgate made a U-turn on his decision.
Gareth Southgate praised the 18-year-old’s display against Brazil on Saturday, with the England boss hinting that Mainoo could even start against Belgium on Tuesday.
Fast-forward to Tuesday evening and Mainoo was awarded his first England start, with the United star playing alongside Arsenal man Declan Rice in midfield.
Bellingham on Mainoo’s England performance
Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans opened the scoring for Belgium in the 11th minute before Brentford striker Ivan Toney pulled England level from the spot-kick.
Despite Ivan Toney cancelling out Youri Tielemans’ opener after six minutes, the Belgium international made his mark again and restored his side’s lead before the break.
Jude Bellingham, who was heavily linked with Manchester United last summer, saved Gareth Southgate’s blushes with a second-half injury-time equaliser for England.
Kobbie Mainoo was withdrawn in the second half and replaced with James Maddison, but the United star earned rave reviews for his performance from fans.
The United midfielder once again showed his quality on the ball and off it, with Mainoo establishing himself as a calming presence in the heart of midfield.
Speaking after the 2-2 draw at Wembley, Bellingham praised the “brilliant” Mainoo and predicted him to have an “amazing future” for club and country.
When asked about Mainoo, the Real Madrid star told Channel 4: “Yeah, he was good tonight, he was good.
“It’s difficult, I’m speaking like an old head here, but I know how hard it can be when there’s a clamour and people put a lot of pressure on you.
“So, I don’t want to add fuel to the fire, but he’s definitely a brilliant player and he’s going to have an amazing future at Man United and, hopefully, for England as well.”
Bellingham on his England equaliser vs Belgium
Bellingham, who has been widely praised for his performances at Madrid this season, ensured England avoided back-to-back defeats in the international break.
The 20-year-old Los Blancos midfielder is tipped to play a key role in Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024 in Germany this summer.
Speaking on his late equaliser for England, Bellingham continued: “I liked it because I knew the rubbish we would’ve got if we had lost two games on the bounce.
“With these games, you’ve got to keep perspective in mind, there’s a lot of lads making debuts, a lot of these boys I’ve never played with before.
“I thought we created a lot of chances, I had one I should score and a couple of other shots on goal.”