Kobbie Mainoo shows true colours in moment with Joshua Zirkzee amid Man United transfer

Kobbie Mainoo’s impassioned expression when Ollie Watkins netted England’s winner over the Netherlands on Wednesday was as joyful as the goalscorers’ himself.

The Manchester United midfielder put in a performance of someone ten years his senior, having gone from a club debutant to a European Championship finalist in the space of just 18 months.

"It is an indescribable feeling, we are all buzzing!” Mainoo told BBC Radio 5 Live at full-time, admitting his rise in senior football has “happened quick and now we are in a European Championship final.”

Mainoo only turned 19 in April and has just eight caps under his belt, most of them coming at his maiden international tournament. His form will not surprise many United fans who have seen him grow immensely since making his bow against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup back in January 2023.

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He was selected to start that debut and lasted an hour, coming off after an exciting performance. Despite a major injury setback at the beginning of the season, the teenager has gone from strength to strength and is now one of the first names on Erik ten Hag’s team sheet.

Mainoo is one of just four players safeguarded from a sale this summer with Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho exempt from transfer approaches, all four seen as integral to the club’s long-term rebuild.

In order to evolve, United are looking at bringing in a defender, a midfielder and a striker this summer. Anthony Martial left upon the end of his contract last month meaning Hojlund is the only natural centre-forward among