England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo admits he’s a bit of a cool character overall, but he did lost it when Manchester United won the FA Cup final last month!
Mainoo scored the second goal for Man Utd that day, giving the Red Devils a surprise 2-1 victory over bitter rivals Manchester City at Wembley.
It may well be that that goal from Mainoo helped save Erik ten Hag his job at Old Trafford, though the youngster has also spoken out about his fondness for the Dutchman, thanking him for the impact he’s had on his career.
For all that Ten Hag has had his critics during his time in charge at United, he has done some fine work to bring through young players such as Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, so fans will hope there will be similar success on that front in the future.
For now, however, Mainoo’s focus will be on Euro 2024 with the England national team, and he’s spoken about how he manages to keep cool and take everything in his stride.
Mainoo lost it at FA Cup win
Speaking to the media this week, Mainoo provided some insight into how he’s reacted to his meteoric rise in recent months.
“I just try to take everything in stride,” he said. “Things have been happening quite quickly but I just try to take it a game at a time, a day at a time. It’s been working for me so far.”
When asked about when he last lost it, the 19-year-old smiled and said: “Maybe when we won the FA Cup.”
It was certainly a special moment for United as they got revenge on Man City for the defeat of the previous year, when Ilkay Gundogan scored twice at Wembley to give Pep Guardiola’s side the trophy, and part of their historic treble of that season that will have stung for United supporters.
Mainoo is an exciting talent and England fans will be hoping to see more of him at this summer’s Euros, though there’s a lot of competition for places in Gareth Southgate’s midfield.
England started with Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield for the win over Serbia, but it’s certainly still an open debate if the Liverpool right-back should be being used out of position in this way.
Mainoo might end up being a better option, and it would certainly be exciting to see him link up with England’s other golden boy Bellingham in the middle of the park.
Who knows? Perhaps Mainoo can give England that something extra in this tournament and get another chance to lose it with a major international trophy by the end of the summer!