Gary Lineker and Ian Wright took to social media to pour praise on Manchester United’s scintillating starlet Kobbie Mainoo.
The 18-year-old continues to receive plaudits with every single outing he makes and his elegant showings are keeping senior counterparts Christian Eriksen, Sofyan Amrabat and Scott McTominay out of the starting 11, with Sunday’s inclusion against Luton Town marking an 11th consecutive start in all competitions.
Mainoo is calmness personified on the pitch. The ball appears to be glued to his feet whenever he’s on it and the way he uses his body to feint or shift past his man is just so easy on the eye.
What’s made his exhilarating emergence even sweeter is that the Carrington graduate is staying grounded. It’d be easy to let all the praise go to your head when you’re the talk of the town each week, but he’s calmly taking each match in his stride, focusing on his development and how he can aid United’s European quest in any way possible.
As expected with up-and-coming talents who have taken the Premier League by storm, there have quickly been shouts for Mainoo to be granted his maiden England call-up. He’s represented his nation at under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels, though he is being targeted by Ghana in an attempt to switch his allegiance.
England legends laud Mainoo
During United’s gritty Kenilworth Road clash, Wright took to X to heap praise on the teenager, writing: “Kobbie Mainoo has to be in the next England squad. Such maturity in chaotic conditions that we’ve not seen from an England player in a long time. Impressed every time I watch him.”
Lineker then echoed the sentiment with a post of his own, adding: “Agreed @IanWright0. What a fabulous young player.”
