Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo has earned his first senior England call-up for March's fixtures with Brazil and Belgium.
The 18-year-old was originally selected for Lee Carsley's Under-21 squad, despite calls for Gareth Southgate and the FA to fast-track him into the Three Lions setup.
Mainoo has now established himself as a regular starter for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, and England have been determined to secure his services for their senior side, as he is also eligible to represent Ghana.
Speaking to the media after naming his squad for this month's friendlies, Southgate waxed lyrical about Mainoo's displays in the Premier League but stressed the need to err on the side of caution with his development.
"I think that he's doing brilliantly for a young player and we're never slow to put a young player into 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," Southgate said.
"So we think ideally, we should allow him that space to develop at his own speed. He's not at the point in terms of number of games that Jude [Bellingham] and Bukayo [Saka] were when they came in for the first time.
An addition to the #ThreeLions squad... 🤩
— England (@England) March 19, 2024
Congratulations to Kobbie Mainoo, who has received his first senior international call-up! 👏
"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 with Manchester United at the moment. And he looks a really good character."
However, England announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Red Devils protege had been promoted to the senior squad from the Under-21s, despite not even earning his debut for Carsley's side.
Mainoo has previously earned caps for England at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level, only making his first appearance for the latter age group in March 2023 and serving as captain in a 3-2 friendly win over Japan last November.
The midfielder is rewarded with a place in Southgate's setup after coming up with two goals in 20 appearances for Man United so far this season, starting each of their last 12 games in the Premier League.
Mainoo also played 80 minutes of the Red Devils' engrossing 4-3 extra-time win over Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and he will be expected to start for Ten Hag's side in their semi-final with Coventry City at Wembley next month.
The 18-year-old joins Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Conor Gallagher, Cole Palmer, James Maddison and Jordan Henderson as Southgate's midfield options, and England confirmed that all 25 players originally selected had reported to St George's Park for training.
The Three Lions play their first game of 2024 against Brazil at Wembley on March 23, three days before welcoming Belgium to the English capital for an international friendly.
Ben Knapton
