English midfielder Declan Rice believes that ‘the sky is the limit’ for national teammate Kobbie Mainoo ahead of his much-anticipated debut against Belgium today evening.
The Manchester United wonderkid has been an absolute sensation in the Premier League this season.
He holds maturity beyond his years and his pressure handling abilities have already received huge praise from Gareth Southgate and his teammates.
Mainoo is all set to make his full senior debut for England and Rice is already looking forward to watching ‘United’s best player’ working his magic for the Three Lions.
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As quoted by the Manchester Evening News, the Arsenal defensive midfielder has highlighted the importance of giving time to the youngster so that he can flourish in his career.
He said:
“Every time I’ve seen him playing for United on the TV, he has been pretty much their best player every game. I’ve been asked a lot by my friends ‘what’s Mainoo like?’ – and he’s really, really impressive.”
“He’s at one of the biggest clubs in the world, and now he’s at England we just want to let him flourish. He’s so composed. I think it’s really important that we don’t put too much pressure on him.”
“The sky is the limit for him. He’s an amazing player and I am looking forward to hopefully playing many games for England with him.”
Mainoo will be a true gem for England and Manchester United for years to come
Mainoo made his senior debut against Brazil as a substitute but is yet to start for England. He has played international football only as high as the U19s.
Such has been his temperament that Southgate has promoted him to the senior squad. His performance against Brazil was top notch and his composure was there to see.
It’s not easy to handle pressure at a club like Man United. He has been doing it regularly and has solidified his position in the starting XI.
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Mainoo looks irreplicable and is a future star in the making for the Red Devils. They have finally found an ideal successor to Carrick.
The fans now need to show patience and let the midfielder grow with his pace. England are likely to field a very young midfield with Mainoo, Jude Bellingham and Rice completing the star-studied setup.
