Mainoo receives England Under-21s call-up
Kobbie Mainoo has been called into the England Under-21s squad for the first time.
The Manchester United midfielder (pictured reading the new issue of Inside United), has been rewarded for his fine form with a step up at international level.
He has previously appeared at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level for the Three Lions.
Lee Carsley's men face Azerbaijan and Luxembourg in Group F of the Euro 2025 qualifiers, with the latter game being staged at Bolton Wanderers' ground on Tuesday 26 March (19:00 GMT).
England boss Gareth Southgate told a press conference: "There are some players with the Under-21s, especially in midfield, who are doing exceptionally well. The likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Harvey Elliott, Rico Lewis was with us last time. Archie Gray, at Leeds, is doing very, very well.’
When asked specifically about Kobbie, Southgate added: "I think that he’s doing brilliantly for a young player and we’re never slow to put a young payer into the seniors, but he’s only had a handful of games and you have to be very careful, development-wise, in making those decisions at the right time.
"We think, ideally, we should allow him that space to develop at his own speed," the Three Lions coach explained. "He’s not at the point in terms of number of games that Jude [Bellingham] or Bukayo [Saka] were when they came in for the first time.
"But, I repeat, he’s doing really well for a young player. He’s a good footballer, you can see that, and he’s getting some fabulous experience at Manchester United at the moment and looks a really good character."
Everybody at United would like to congratulate Kobbie, and also another Academy graduate, Teden Mengi, whose excellent season at Luton Town has earned a first place in the same squad.