Is Southgate brave enough to call up Man Utd starlet Mainoo?

Kobbie Mainoo was playing in the EFL Trophy for the Manchester United under-21s as recently as Halloween. He was even playing against Copenhagen in the UEFA Youth League on November 8. To say his rise has been spectacular would be an understatement.

The 18-year-old has gone from promising youngster to indispensable through the winter and is currently the best midfielder at Erik ten Hag’s disposal.

Consequently, calls have been made for Gareth Southgate to include the Stockport-born player in his senior England squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

"Kobbie Mainoo has to be in the next England squad," former Arsenal forward Ian Wright wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.

"Such maturity in chaotic conditions that we've not seen from a England player in a long time. Impressed every time I watch him."

Mainoo the boss of Man Utd midfield

Wright had just watched Mainoo boss a Manchester United midfield, in a Premier League game away at Luton Town, that included four-time Champions League winner Casemiro as well as Bruno Fernandes.

United raced into a two-goal lead, supplied by a resurgent Rasmus Hojlund, but then contrived to try and throw their advantage away. Heads were being lost all around the team but Mainoo stood tall and answered the challenge.

It was the latest impressive chapter in the story being written by the England under-19 international, who has burst onto the Premier League scene this season.

Ever since he made his first competitive start for the senior team, winning man of the match in a league game at Everton in November, Mainoo has been among the team’s top performers.

Having battled back from a serious ankle injury suffered in pre-season against Real Madrid in July, Mainoo has definitively taken his chance.

He scored a sensational late winner in a recent 4-3 league win against Wolves, earning comparisons to Clarence Seedorf from former United star Rio Ferdinand, and is now putting himself into contention for an England place.

“He's doing brilliantly,” England manager Gareth Southgate said following the UEFA Nations League draw. “I'm not certain he's necessarily going to be a defensive midfielder, as such.

“He's quite a progressive player but he's had a fabulous start to his career and it will be good to monitor him as we go forward.”

It’s encouraging that Southgate has got Mainoo on his radar and, given the pressure that his eligibility for Ghana might be exerting, you might see the midfielder in an England shirt before long.

Mainoo has been subject to interest from the Black Stars, where his parents are from, and it remains to be seen where his international future lies.

That said, he would be a fine addition to the England squad for the upcoming friendlies as well as for Euro 2024.

The England midfield will consist of Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham for the Euros but there appears to be an available slot alongside those two heading into the tournament.

Kalvin Phillips has been the long-standing incumbent but his career has severely hit the skids since moving to Manchester City from Leeds even if he can call himself a treble winner.

Southgate has been loyal to Phillips but his recent loan move to West Ham has brought with it a whole new set of problems. He was culpable for a goal on his debut against Bournemouth and was sent off at the weekend against Nottingham Forest. He looks rusty, a long way from his best, and should no longer be the automatic pick he once was for Southgate.

The England manager has also selected Jordan Henderson throughout his entire Saudi Arabian farce, attracting opprobrium in the process, but it is painfully obvious that the former Liverpool captain is not the force he was.

The other candidate for the role could well be Conor Gallagher; the Chelsea man has 11 caps and has never been a guaranteed starter for his country. The likes of Mason Mount, meanwhile, appear to be no longer in the conversation.

Among English players in the Premier League, Mainoo is up there with the very best of 2024 and has catapulted himself into contention for not only a squad place but a starting role.

Casemiro was lucky to avoid a red card on Sunday, having ploughed through Ross Barkley while already booked, and it’s a stunning development that the 18-year-old rookie is the player that his manager is turning to right now.

Ten Hag has never been shy about letting young talent loose, even in his Ajax days, and amid a tumultuous season, his usage of Mainoo should be commended.

He is very much a bright star in an ordinary Manchester United season, where they are out of the running for all honours already.

Southgate would do well to shed his conservative instincts and follow Ten Hag’s lead as soon as possible. Otherwise the fear is that England’s loss could be Ghana’s gain.

Only a few short months on from that October outing against Salford City in the EFL Trophy, Kobbie Mainoo looks like an England mainstay in the making.