Gareth Southgate has insisted Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is yet to pick up the experience necessary to make the jump to the senior England team.
The 18-year-old midfielder has quickly blossomed into one of Erik ten Hag’s most trusted players at United, picking up 14 Premier League stars across his 22 appearances for United this season, and many fans were keen to see Mainoo rewarded with a spot in Southgate’s England squad for the March international break.
However, the England boss decided against selecting Mainoo, insisting the youngster needs more time to develop before being handed his first call-up.
“I think that he’s doing brilliantly for a young player and we’re never slow to put a young player into seniors,” Southgate said. “But he’s only had a handful of games and you have to be very careful development-wise in making those decisions at the right time.
“So we think ideally, we should allow him that space to develop at his own speed. He’s not at the point in terms of number of games that Jude [Bellingham] and Bukayo [Saka] were when they came in for the first time.
“But I repeat: he’s doing really well for a young player. He’s a good footballer – you can see that. And he’s getting some fabulous experience with Manchester United at the moment. And he looks a really good character.”
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Mainoo’s total of 22 appearances at club level is fewer than half of the 45 Bukayo Saka racked up with Arsenal before his England debut, while Bellingham had over 50 games for Birmingham City and Borussia Dortmund before his first call-up.
With this being the final squad selection before Euro 2024, Mainoo’s chances of making the tournament now appear incredibly slim.
One concern for Southgate could be Ghana’s public pursuit of Mainoo. Ghana executive Randy Abbey recently told The Times: “The Ghana Football Association is interested in monitoring, attracting, and persuading all eligible talents for its various national teams. Kobbie is definitely one of such incredible talents, and the Association will love to work with him and many like him at home and abroad.”
Mainoo has never represented Ghana, instead spending his youth career with England from Under-17 up to Under-19 level.
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