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8 months ago
45
Gareth Southgate is a man spoilt for choices when it comes to team selection.
Bar Luis Enrique and Didier Deschamps, arguably none of his European counterparts can boast the same embarrassment of riches in the middle of the park.
It is simultaneously why England will head to Germany as one of the teams to beat in the Euros this summer and why Southgate admitted earlier this month midfield was the area of the field that was hardest to balance.
The emergence of Kobbie Mainoo may go a long way in restocking the one cupboard that has been often relatively bare during Southgate's tenure.
The Manchester United midfielder made his England debut in the 1-0 loss to Brazil at Wembley on Saturday and is set to be handed his first start against Belgium on Tuesday night.
Kobbie Mainoo is in line to make his first England start against Belgium on Tuesday night
The 18-year-old made his Three Lions debut against Brazil on Saturday at Wembley
Southgate received his first senior England call-up last week and was presented with his cap by Gareth Southgate on Sunday
After replacing Conor Gallagher late in the second half, the Stockport-born teenager completed 100 percent of his 18 passes in an eye-catching cameo.
Playing further upfield from Declan Rice, the teenager played with the poise and calm of a man 10 years his senior.
It was a familiar sight to anyone who has watched him for United this season, where he has brought a degree of control to a team with an almost chronic penchant for frenetic football.
Take the winner against Wolves for example. With United rocked by conceding a last minute equaliser, Mainoo simply slalomed past three defenders before slotting the ball in the bottom corner.
Against Luton two weeks later, it was telling to see the 18-year-old speak at length to five-time Champions League winner Casemiro after the Brazilian twice risked being sent off with wild lunges while on a yellow card.
Mainoo's poise could be the ideal foil for Rice, who alongside Jude Bellingham is England's only certain starter in midfield.
Kalvin Phillips played alongside Rice during England's run to the Euro 2020 final, with Jordan Henderson deployed alongside the Arsenal midfielder and Bellingham at the two World Cup two years later.
Phillips and Henderson have been two of Southgate's most trusted lieutenants during his tenure at Wembley and his unwavering loyalty to the pair has often been questioned.
Declan Rice is a guaranteed starter in midfielder for England at the Euros
Jude Bellingham is also guaranteed a spot in the starting XI this summer
Conor Gallagher slotted in alongside Rice against Brazil but his role remains in doubt
As it stands, however, neither may be in Germany come the summer. Henderson has plummeted down the pecking order following an ill-fated move to Saudi Arabia and a hitherto similarly underwhelming spell with Ajax.
Phillips, meanwhile, is paying the price for a so far disastrous loan at West Ham.
The 28-year-old left Manchester City for some much-needed first team opportunities in January, but has looked a shadow of the player Southgate so often relied upon over the past four years.
Their demise has thrusted Gallagher into filling the vacancy alongside Rice. But while the Chelsea midfielder is a willing runner, England can often look imbalanced when he plays alongside his Arsenal counterpart.
Mainoo's natural game seems to unfold at half the pace of Gallagher's high-energy approach, which is exactly what Southgate may need the most come the summer.
The United starlet is economical in his movement and in his touches, but marries that with a superb vison, sense of positioning and spatial awareness.
'As we thought, He’s fitted in brilliantly,' was Southgate's verdict on Mainoo after his cameo against Brazil.
Southgate admitted finding the right balance in midfield is his biggest challenge
Jordan Henderson (left) has fallen down the pecking order after leaving Liverpool, while Kalvin Phillips (right) was dropped following a dismal start to his West Ham loan
'His level of training has been excellent — we won’t hesitate to put him on the pitch.'
Southgate is notoriously reluctant to bow to external pressure when it comes to team selection, but the clamour surrounding Mainoo will surely grow louder if he were to impress against Belgium.
Of course, it is worth remembering Tuesday night will be only his 25th game of senior professional football and that teenagers stamping their authority on major tournaments remain few and far between.
At the same time, turning Mainoo into a regular starter so early into his professional career would be as bold a call as any Southgate has made since taking the job.
After all, as Sir Matt Busby famously proclaimed, 'if they are good enough, they are old enough.'
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