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- Bellingham Amazed by England's New Prodigy: "He's Very Good"
Bellingham Amazed by England's New Prodigy: "He's Very Good"
The Real Madrid player joined the wave of praise being received by the young midfielder from Manchester United.
Anthony Gordon, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo all made their debuts over recent days, with Ivan Toney registering his first goal – from the penalty spot – against Belgium on his first international start.
The quartet boosted their chances of making the plane to Germany, with 18-year-old Mainoo’s stock arguably growing the highest.
The Manchester United talent staked his claim for a midfield spot with out-of-sorts Kalvin Phillips omitted, Trent Alexander-Arnold injured and Henderson unavailable.
Mainoo won his first cap off the bench against Brazil and, just four months after making his first Premier League start, was named player of the match for his display on his full England debut on Tuesday.
“He gives us a different profile of midfield player to anything else we’ve got,” Southgate said. “He’s adapted and adjusted brilliantly. You can’t believe his age, really, that he’s just taking it all in his stride as he has.”
Asked if he was confident Mainoo could shut out the noise after such an impressive full debut, he said: “I think, firstly, he seems very mature, very calm. He knows he’s making his way.
“We’re absolutely delighted with what he’s done, first and foremost, and then there’s a lot of the season still to be played with his club.”
Bellingham is amazed
Among the praises received by Mainoo, the words from Jude Bellingham stood out. "Kobbie Mainoo is very good. I know how tough it can be when there's a clamor and people put a lot of pressure on you... but he's definitely a brilliant player. He's going to have a fantastic future at Man United and hopefully also with England," said the Real Madrid midfielder.