First footage of Kobbie Mainoo in England training has emerged

The first look at Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo in England training has been released following his first senior call-up by Gareth Southgate.

It was announced on Monday that Mainoo would be getting the call-up to the senior side, just a day after the youngster put on a dazzling display at Old Trafford against Liverpool.

Mainoo only made his Premier League debut in November 2023 against Everton, so the fact he has forced Southgate's hand so early in his career demonstrates the talent the midfielder possesses.

The United man revealed how he got the news earlier in the week: "I got called up to the U21s and then got a text from Steve Holland. He told me to meet him in the reception and just told me I've been called up and I'm gonna be with the squad for the week. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but I'm excited," Mainoo recalled.

One of the only universally loved aspects of the international break is the content we get via the England channels, and fans have had their first look at Mainoo in action for the three Lions.

The footage shows the 18-year-old showing off his defensive skills against James Maddison, Ivan Toney, Ben Chilwell and Kyle Walker.

Kobbie with some great defensive work.💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/gUK9MdiJvT

— 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗴’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘀 ✍🏼🇳🇱 (@TenHagBall_) March 21, 2024

Despite the hype surrounding the youngster, Mainoo wasn't originally selected by Southgate for the upcoming friendlies.

When asked about Mainoo's initial omission from the England squad on Thursday, Southgate replied: "I think that he's doing brilliantly for a young player and we're never slow to put a young player into seniors, but he's only had a handful of games.

"You have to be very careful development-wise in making those decisions at the right time.

"So we think, ideally, we should allow him that space to develop at his own speed. He's not at the point in terms of number of games that Jude (Bellingham) and Bukayo (Saka) were when they came in for the first time.

"But I repeat: he's doing really well for a young player. He's a good footballer — you can see that," Southgate added.