Manchester United fans have sent a clear-cut message after Kobbie Mainoo’s “cheat code” performance for England in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Wednesday evening.
Kobbie Mainoo earned his hotly anticipated senior England call-up during the March international break after a remarkable breakout season at Old Trafford.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate initially snubbed the 19-year-old Manchester United star for an England call-up before making a U-turn on his decision.
Mainoo earned a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad alongside Luke Shaw, while Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire missed the tournament for England.
The Stockport-born midfielder initially struggled for minutes at this summer’s Euros in Germany, with Southgate starting Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield.
United star Mainoo only managed a brief cameo in the 1-0 win over Serbia in Group C before he was an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw against Denmark.
However, the England international seized the opportunity in the final Group C match against Slovenia after he came off the bench and impressed with his display.
Man Utd star Mainoo shines vs Netherlands
Gareth Southgate abandoned his midfield experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold and started Kobbie Mainoo in the 2-1 comeback win against Slovakia in the last 16.
Mainoo retained his place in the starting XI alongside Declan Rice in the quarter-finals and the Manchester United star showed his quality against Switzerland.
England’s penalty shootout win over Switzerland punched their ticket to Wednesday evening’s semi-final clash against the Netherlands at Euro 2024.
The Netherlands came from behind in their quarter-final clash against Turkey and secured a 2-1 win to reach the last four of the UEFA tournament.
Mainoo partnered with Arsenal star Declan Rice and the Three Lions star produced a stunning first-half performance alongside Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden.
The England international showed in the Netherlands match the high quality that he did at Old Trafford last season with a commanding midfield performance.
Mainoo was calm and composed on the ball and wasn’t afraid to show his attacking flair as England pushed up the field against Ronald Koeman’s men.
Man Utd fans react to Mainoo’s England performance
United fans took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and praised Mainoo for his superb showing against the Netherlands.
Red Devils supporters wasted no time in making comparisons between Mainoo and Paul Scholes, who has spoken very highly of the United midfielder.
One fan boldly claimed that Mainoo was “balling like prime Paul Scholes,” while another said he was the best midfielder from the academy since the United legend.
“Kobbie Mainoo is who he thinks he is. Just a reminder he plays for Man United,” one fan said.
Someone else commented: “I really hope Mainoo will be the same as Scholes and not want to ever play for anyone else other than [Man] Utd.”
“Kobbie Mainoo balling like prime Paul Scholes, what a time to be alive,” a third added.
Another posted: “Mainoo is obviously a cheat code in possession but I do think we appreciate his quality out of it. His anticipation to ‘smell’ danger is very valuable.”
While a fifth tweeted: “Mainoo’s the best midfielder the United academy has produced since Paul Scholes. There, I said it.”
And a sixth claimed: “Kobbie Mainoo makes passes like Paul Scholes. Baller.”
Somebody else suggested: “Paul Scholes is the only Manchester United jersey I have ever owned [but it is] time to buy a Kobbie Mainoo one.”
An eighth X user said: “Every time I watch Mainoo play, I see Paul Scholes in his style of play and fluidity. Young buck looks like his been playing ball for 20 years. The maturity, composure on the ball is just a joy to watch.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/k2BXqJF