The rise of Kobbie Mainoo at Manchester United: From Cheadle to the England squad

From the fields of Cheadle to the England set-up in the space of a few years, Kobbie Mainoo's rise might seem stark to many, but it's been far from surprising to those familiar with him.

Rewind to the start of this season, however, and few outside of Manchester United had even heard of the midfielder. His senior United game time had been limited to one start in the Carabao Cup and two substitute appearances in the FA Cup and Premier League. He had to wait until November for his full league debut.

It is a mark of Mainoo's talent, and how he's grasped his opportunities in the United midfield in the past four months, that Gareth Southgate has – without prompt, without any drop-outs from the squad – promoted Mainoo to his Three Lions set-up for the coming week.

Just a few days ago, Southgate had warned Mainoo had "only had a handful of games" for United and said England "have to be very careful" regarding the 18-year-old's development. A stunning display in the United engine room during Sunday's 4-3 win over Liverpool was the straw that broke the camel's back. Southgate simply had to perform a U-turn.

It wasn't just Mainoo's performance in the dramatic FA Cup victory that changed Southgate's mind. Anyone who has watched him since he broke into the United first team would struggle to deny his talent, would fail to notice the composure and calm with which he plays the game.

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None of that was lost on Jonny Evans when he sealed a return to United in the summer and began training with Mainoo.

Speaking in an interview with Rio Ferdinand recently, Evans said: “With Kobbie, in my first