New Delhi: Gareth Southgate’s England have successfully marched into yet another UEFA Euro final, and aim to go one step further than they did in the previous edition. The campaign wasn’t off to a great start for the Three Lions as uninspiring performances in the first two games against Serbia and Demark drew heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike. The midfield was being run over and the Trent Alexander Arnold experiment wasn’t working.
After a much-maligned interview where Southgate mentioned how he was unable to replace Kalvin Phillips in the squad, someone who was instrumental in England’s run to the final in UEFA Euro 2020, England’s midfield troubles were put to an end with the emergence of Manchester United academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo as he successfully made the transition from club football to the biggest stage of European football.
Turns out, all Southgate needed to replace Kalvin Phillips was a young, humble lad from Stockport, who’s only played half a season of first-team football to bring a nice balance to this English squad. As England face the prospect of winning their first major trophy since the 1966 FIFA World Cup, Mainoo has quietly steered the ship in the direction of the finals of UEFA Euro 2024.
Breakthrough season with Manchester United
Kobbie Mainoo was nominated for the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season award. (Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Having joined the club at the age of nine, Mainoo made his first team debut for the Red Devils in January 2023. The 2023/24 season would be the breakthrough season for the 19-year-old as he would go on to make 32 appearances for his side. With the start to his season delayed by injury, Mainoo’s first start came in November against Everton where he put in a man-of-the-match display against the Toffees.
Playing in a deeper role for the Red Devils, he still managed to score five goals from midfield, scoring some hugely important ones as he balanced his attacking and defensive duties well. His stoppage-time winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers was awarded the Premier League goal of the month for February, while he also scored in a 2-2 draw with arch-rivals Liverpool.
His crowing moment at club level came on the 25th of May, 2024, as he scored the winning goal against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, handing Manchester United another FA Cup title and arguably securing his manager, Erik Ten Hag’s future at the club. His displays in the Manchester United shirt earned him a call-up to the England squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.
Displays during the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany
Kobbie Mainoo has been the key to England’s run to the final. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
The tournament didn’t start too brightly for the 19-year-old midfielder as he saw just four minutes of action in the first two games combined and he didn’t start the third game as well. However, as the game was level at half-time Gareth Southgate decided to bring the youngster on at half-time against Slovenia and England looked a much better side with Mainoo in the midfield.
He added a balance to the squad that was missing when Trent was starting. In just 45 minutes against Slovenia, he put in an extremely calm and confident performance that set the tone for the rest of his campaign. Mainoo completed 33 of his 34 passes in 45 minutes against Slovenia and was only dispossessed once during the entire half, showcasing his ability to keep hold of the ball and distribute it well.
His performance against Slovenia ensured that he would be in the starting lineup for all the knockout games England played en route to the final. He showed exceptional passing skills throughout the tournament and combined that with excellent defensive output for the side as well. Before the semi-final fixture against the Netherlands, Mainoo had completed 133 of his 138 passes in the tournament, achieving a passing accuracy of 96%, more than any other midfielder at the UEFA European Championships since 1980.
96% – Kobbie Mainoo has the best pass accuracy of any midfielder at a European Championship that Opta has on record since 1980 (96%, min. 100 passes), misplacing just five of his 138 passes at EURO 2024. Dependable. pic.twitter.com/wOEo7QlWw1
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 9, 2024
Apart from his passing accuracy, the Manchester United academy graduate has also been impressive with his defensive numbers in Germany. He’s won 66.7% of the tackles he’s attempted and 61.9% of the duels he’s endured against other players, while only being dispossed twice in the tournament in all of his five appearances. Mainoo has also managed to match his midfielder partner, Declan Rice in certain statistics, who’s had considerably more game time than the 19-year-old.
Mainoo and Rice both have produced six interceptions in the tournament while Mainoo has more blocks than the Arsenal midfielder and has only been dribbled past once, in comparison to Rice who’s been dribbled past thrice. Even in terms of attacking support, he’s at par with his midfield partner as he’s created three chances to Rice’s four in the tournament, while Manioo’s eight touches in the opposition box is only one behind Rice’s nine.
Impressive outing in the semi-final against the Dutch
Kobbie Mainoo was England’s best player on the night against the Netherlands. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
His performance against the Netherlands was probably the best one he put in Germany as he helped his side to another UEFA European Championship final. He played almost the entire game, only being taken off in the added time and put in a man-of-the-match-worthy display.
At 19 years and 82 days, he became the youngest player to represent England in the semi-finals of a major tournament but his performance exceeded his age. Winning 100% of his tackles and duels, and completing 100% of his long passes. While his passing accuracy dipped slightly in this game, he still completed 36 of his 42 passes, including one key pass against the Dutch from a defensive midfield role.
His defensive output was on point as well throughout the game and many fans were calling for him to be the man-of-the-match over Ollie Watkins, such was his performance against the best side that England have played in Germany yet.
His contributions have been extremely handy in Southgate’s setup and his performances have been key in England’s run to another European final. The English midfielder will have to be on top form once again when they face Spain in Berlin as they would want to overcome the ghosts of their recent past.
19-year-old Manchester United academy graduate, Kobbie Mainoo has quietly been lighting up the field for England on their way to the UEFA Euro 2024 final. Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
