England manager Gareth Southgate is keen on holding talks with Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, according to reports.
Kobbie Mainoo made his long-awaited first Premier League start of the season for Manchester United and was perhaps unfortunate to not be man-of-the-match for the Red Devils in their 3-0 win over Everton.
At just 18 years of age, the Englishman was very impressive at Goodison Park and looked to be confident and comfortable in the middle of the park for the Red Devils.
Naturally, the midfielder’s superb performance in Merseyside will bring attention from international sides ahead of a future call-up.
Mainoo’s international future
A report from the Daily Star has detailed that England boss Gareth Southgate is keen on having a meeting with the 18-year-old to try and secure his future with the national team, amid interest from another national side.
Mainoo has represented England at under-17, under-18 and under-19 levels, but is still eligible for Ghana through his parents. But Southgate is desperate to see him pledge his international future to the Three Lions instead, according to the report.
Southgate wants to convince the midfielder to stick with the country of his birth and the 18-year-old could also be fast-tracked into Lee Carsley’s under-21 squad to speed up that process.
Mainoo has been tipped to make it at United for a while by the fanbase due to the teenager’s impressive performances during pre-season and an England call-up could be around the corner.
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The one worry with the midfielder’s superb performances is that he could be catapulted into multiple games going forward with Erik ten Hag keen on giving the 18-year-old the exposure he deserves.
However, as exciting as this would be for the fanbase, the midfielder has only just returned from the serious injury he suffered during the pre-season game against Real Madrid.
Rushing the midfielder back and playing him whenever possible would be classic United and Mainoo could suffer a recurrence of his previous injury, similar to how Lisandro Martinez was brought back into the team at the start of the season.
Nevertheless, these are exciting times for the midfielder, and don’t be surprised if Mainoo starts against Galatasaray on Wednesday.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/TULzfSR