Mainoo's star started to shine last Julypublished at 15:18 11 July
Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesKobbie Mainoo's rapid rise to prominence can be traced back to 22 July 2023.
Manchester United won their pre-season game against Arsenal at the Met Life Stadium thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho.
But in a game featuring two very strong starting line-ups, it was an unknown 18-year-old who caught the eye.
At the time, Mainoo had made three first-team appearances and started once, in an EFL Cup win against League One Charlton the previous January.
But on a day when £105m new arrival Declan Rice made his debut for Arsenal, Mainoo controlled central midfield like an old hand.
He set up Fernandes for the opener and earned huge praise from manager Erik ten Hag: "Manchester United are famous for always bringing young players through and he can be one."
Sadly for Mainoo, he was injured against Real Madrid five days later and it was 26 November before he had recovered sufficiently from his ankle injury to feature in the Premier League against Everton, the first of 32 appearances in United's remaining 34 games.
The last stat shows Mainoo delivered what Ten Hag saw during that pre-season game in the stadium that will hold the next World Cup final.
Alongside the man he played against that day, the teenager will now attempt to drive England towards glory.
