Only a few days following his unexpected inclusion in the senior squad, 18-year-old Mainoo marked his debut for England in their 1-0 friendly defeat against Brazil on Saturday evening.

Entering the field in the 75th minute as a substitute for Conor Gallagher, the midfielder left a notable impression despite England conceding the decisive goal shortly after his introduction.

Displaying remarkable composure, Mainoo successfully completed all 20 of his passes and seamlessly integrated into Gareth Southgate’s midfield. This performance left many fans and pundits optimistic about his potential inclusion in the Euro 2024 squad.

Reflecting on the match, Mainoo took to Instagram, expressing his gratitude for the “special feeling” of making his senior England debut at Wembley Stadium, in the presence of his family.

‘A moment I will never forget. Now we bounce back and refocus for Tuesday.’

Mainoo’s call-up comes after a brilliant few months for United, with club captain Fernandes among those to hail the teenager, with the Portugal star replying to Mainoo’s post with: ‘First of many.’

United and England defenders Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire added: ‘What a player’ and ‘deserved mate.’

Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are virtually guaranteed to start for England, with optimism surrounding Mainoo potentially filling the void in Southgate’s midfield puzzle.

The Arsenal star also replied to the post with: ‘Many more to come! Congrats bro.’

As for the Three Lions boss himself, Southgate said of Mainoo’s cameo: ‘Kobbie was a chance to dip his toes.

‘We needed to refresh some of the team because we’ve got to manage their minutes a little bit, so that’s a strange situation when it’s a game of that size but that’s where we are.

‘To get Kobbie on the pitch was a brilliant moment for him and his family. You saw a couple of turns and a couple of really composed moments that is a bit of an indication of what he might become.’