Kobbie Mainoo on his remarkable rise
Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo discusses his incredible last 12 months and his first England senior team call-up
March 22 2023, Kobbie Mainoo – who at that point had one start and two substitute appearances for Manchester United’s senior team – was coming off the bench for England MU19s against Hungary in their first U19 EURO elite round qualifier.
March 19 2024, Mainoo has started 15 of United’s last 16 matches in all competitions and has just been informed by Three Lions assistant coach Steve Holland that he has been called up by the England senior team for the first time.
A year is a long time in football, especially when you are as talented as Kobbie Maino.
“It has definitely come quickly but [looking back on the last year], I felt I was ready for the step up [to regular first-team football],” Mainoo told EnglandFootball.com.
“I've had to adapt quickly but I've enjoyed it and I feel like I've found my way.”
As Mainoo walks around St. George’s Park in his England training kit, surrounded by the best players this country has to offer and with a physical stature and calmness that belies his years, it is easy to forget he doesn’t turn 19 until next month.
The midfielder looks at home but then again, he is. Like so many of England’s young stars, Mainoo already knows all about the layout and facilities of St. George’s Park, having been a part of England’s MU17s, MU18s and MU19s squads prior to this camp.
March 2024 was always going to be a very special month for Mainoo: he has helped his beloved Manchester United defeat rivals Liverpool in one of the great Emirates FA Cup clashes and received a maiden England Under-21 call-up.
Then Mainoo received a text message from England senior team assistant coach Steve Holland telling the teenager to meet him in the reception at St. George’s Park. Suddenly March 2024 went from being special to a dream come true.
What a few days it has been for @ManUtd's Kobbie Mainoo... ✨
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 19, 2024
From impressing in the #EmiratesFACup quarter-finals to getting his first senior @England call-up! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/dVoGSYXOi1
Mainoo explained: “I was supposed to be training with the Under-21s on Tuesday and then the Under-21s manager Lee Carsley told me that I would be training with the seniors.
“Steve Holland met me in the reception and he was like ‘No, you are going to be with us for the whole camp. This is your call-up.’
“I was shocked and happy. I rang my family straight away and they were all buzzing.
“I called my dad first and he was so excited for me. My mum and my dad were both over the moon about it and so were the rest of my family.”
Mainoo gets called-up | Arrivals
Three Lions return to camp for their March international fixtures against Brazil and Belgium
Mainoo’s footballing journey started in his hometown of Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, roughly ten miles from Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium.
He joined local club Cheadle & Gatley at four and even at that young age, coach Steve Vare could see he had a special talent and would play the youngster with the older age group.
After a couple of years, he moved to Failsworth Dynamos, by which point the talented forward had been asked to train with Manchester City and Manchester United.
Mainoo was training with the development centres at both clubs for a couple of years until at under-8 level, he opted for Manchester United, the club he supported.
As well as the coaching from Manchester’s two biggest clubs, Mainoo also worked with Paul Newton, one of his old coaches at Cheadle & Gatley and Manchester City academy trainer, at a venue called Shots, in Handfort.
There he would receive one-to-one training and work on areas of his game they felt needed improving – something he continued to do even after signing for Manchester United’s academy.
Mainoo is now a talented midfielder but back then, he would more often than not be the one trying to dribble past defenders and score goals.
He said: “I played a lot as a striker when I was younger, up until I was about 14. Then I started to play as a ten, I played on the wing a little bit and then I went into midfield.
“I enjoyed midfield a lot because you get a lot of the ball. One of the most frustrating things when I was younger was that I was scoring goals as a striker but I realised that I like to have the ball at my feet and it doesn't come for a while when you are playing as a striker. I would get a bit frustrated. So I moved into centre-midfield and I've enjoyed being there ever since.”
Along with his undeniable talent, hardwork and many other factors, Mainoo’s meteoric rise is partly down to his ‘good character’ which Southgate referenced before he had even worked with the youngster.
“I guess it is a credit to my parents and the way they brought me and my siblings up. They always pushed good manners and whatnot on to us,” Mainoo explained to TalkSport.
Mainoo has also been described as being extremely ‘coachable’ and spoke of how the likes of experienced Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro had aided his development this season.
He continued: “I have always wanted to improve and I know that if you want to improve, you have to listen to your coaches but also players with more experience than yourself.
“I understand that, and I understand that I can pick up a lot of things from a lot of great players at Manchester United and here with England.
“[Being coachable] is a quality I have to have if I want to get better.”
Star boy ⭐️
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 17, 2024
Kobbie Mainoo has a big future ahead of him with @ManUtd ❤️#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/AFLM81pBeq
It may sound like Mainoo is stating the obvious there but not all players have the same mindset and there is a reason why at just 18, Mainoo could potentially earn his first England senior cap this weekend against one of the great names in world football, Brazil.
For someone who grew up watching videos of Ronaldinho’s iconic dribbling and finish, it would be a dream come true. But you won’t be surprised to hear Mainoo is not getting ahead of himself.
He said: “For this camp, my focus is just on hopefully getting my first cap and having a good training week.
“I will then get back to club football and hopefully everything will align from there, if I perform the way I should do.”
On the prospect of making England’s UEFA EURO 2024 squad, he added: “I can't look too far forward because it is a long way until the end of the season, so I have to focus on that first and then hopefully if I do my job right, then it will all happen.”
It has been a truly remarkable 12 months for Kobbie Mainoo. Fans are excited to see what the next few months have in store for this talented teenager.
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