Kobbie Mainoo got his first meaningful outing of the Euros this summer against Slovenia and now Harry Kane has reacted.
For England, the group stage at Euro 2024 has been an appalling three games which has seen just two goals and very few moments of excellence.
The perfect midfield partner for Declan Rice eluded Gareth Southgate for the opening two and a half games until he called upon Kobbie Mainoo at half-time on Tuesday.
After this, as if by magic the England squad clicked and played far better which may have booked Mainoo his spot in the starting line-up next time out, on Sunday in the knockouts.
But before that decision can be made, now captain Harry Kane has opened up on how Mainoo’s doing and his performance against Slovenia.
Harry Kane reacts to Kobbie Mainoo’s impact on England
Speaking on episode nine of the Lions’ Den on Wednesday, Kane was asked about the impact that the substitutes had against Slovenia.
This prompted Kane to speak very positively about his 19-year-old teammate but his praise will come as no surprise to Manchester United fans.
“Kobbie’s been great, he’s really impressed since he’s been in the England set-up, he’s obviously a fantastic player and still very young but very comfortable on the ball, and likes to receive it under pressure.
“He’s got a good balance of the defensive side plus the attacking side, getting close to the forwards and trying to link up so I thought he had a really good game when he came on.
“Of course it’s not easy for the guys who haven’t had a lot of minutes yet, they’ll have been itching to get on, itching to play and to make an impression. I thought he came in and did that really well.”
From the sounds of this, Kane was blown away by the impact Mainoo made, although it won’t have surprised United fans.
United’s gem has been by far the best player Southgate has played in that position as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher both struggled.
Kane isn’t the only figure to acknowledge how good Mainoo was, with Gary Neville and Roy Keane claiming he should start the next game. Meanwhile, Paul Scholes also reacted.
Kobbie Mainoo must start in the round of 16 for England
As the aforementioned United legends and pundits also stated, there’s surely no chance Mainoo won’t be given a start in the next game.
The impact his security on the ball and dynamism had on England was profound and he completely changed the game in comparison to what Gallagher offered.
England are a better side with Mainoo in the team, and if he doesn’t play the next game, England could be heading for an early flight.