DORTMUND: Spain youngster Lamine Yamal showered himself in glory by firing his team into the Euro 2024 final but England had their own, rather more understated, teenager, too.
The 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo produced a sterling performance to help England reach a second consecutive Euros final with a 2-1 semi-final win over the Netherlands.
Mainoo played a vital role in England’s midfield as the Three Lions produced their finest performance in Germany this summer.
Bidding to win their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, Gareth Southgate’s side desperately needed to improve after scraping into the final four. And at the core of the team was Manchester United midfielder Mainoo.
He made his Premier League debut in January 2023 at 17, only breaking through in the 2023-24 season with his club.
Mainoo became the youngest ever England player to play in the semi-finals of a major tournament and showed exactly why Southgate has put his faith in him.
He began the tournament as third choice for the position - after the coach dropped Trent Alexander-Arnold, he turned to Chelsea’s Connor Gallagher against Slovenia in England’s third group game.
It was not working at half-time so Southgate turned to Mainoo and hasn’t looked back.
The midfielder has become Southgate’s solution to a problem position, having previously lamented the lack of a new Kalvin Phillips or Jordan Henderson.
Mainoo put in assured performances against Slovakia and Switzerland but his best display so far – and not coincidentally, England’s – was against the Dutch in Dortmund.
“I think all of his performances have been exceptional, especially when you consider his age,” Southgate told reporters.
“We haven’t really had a player like him until now. It makes such a difference when your midfield players can receive (while being) pressed, turn with the ball so easily and comfortably.
“I thought him, Phil (Foden) popping up in spaces, Jude (Bellingham), our movement was really good. It caused a lot of problems and them to adapt without the ball.”
Mainoo, who attributes his slick ability on the ball to his past playing futsal, the five-a-side small-pitch game requiring high levels of technique and skill, helped England dominate their opponents in the first half.
The Manchester United midfielder pinned Holland deep in their own territory by aggressively putting heavy pressure on the ball every time they tried to break loose.
Xavi Simons blasted Holland ahead but England benefited from a slice of luck when Harry Kane won a soft penalty, but after the England captain converted it to level the score, their superiority was evident with Mainoo pulling the strings in midfield.
Mainoo’s rise to prominence has even surprised those close to him by its speed.
Luke Shaw, his teammate for club and country, said ahead of the Holland game that his “growth is scary” and that Mainoo has “the world at his feet”.
The teenager will have his work cut out against the team-of-the-tournament Spain in the final. La Roja midfielders Rodri Hernandez and Fabian Ruiz have been two of the stars of the summer. — AFP
