A fan's reaction to watching Kobbie Mainoo in a 2016 tournament has gone viral after the Manchester United midfielder received his first call-up to the England men's senior squad.
The 18-year-old midfielder, who had been part of the England Under-21s group, was drafted into the first-team squad on Tuesday ahead of friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
It has been a remarkable breakthrough campaign for Mainoo, and last weekend's performance against Liverpool in the FA Cup may have persuaded Gareth Southgate to change his mind.
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Mainoo was not named in the initial 23-man squad after Southgate suggested he wasn't ready to make that jump.
"I think Kobbie is doing brilliantly for a young player," he said. "We're never slow to put a young player into the seniors, but he's only had a handful of games. You have to be careful in making those decisions at the right time, and ideally we should allow him the space to develop at his own speed."
Southgate would later suggest Mainoo was not at the same stage as Jude Bellingham or Bukayo Saka when they first arrived into the England first-team set up.
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But it looks like the Stockport-born midfielder could feature sooner rather than later.
As the news of his call-up started to become a talking point on social media, a tweet from X user jb8521 emerged from back in June 2016.
At the time, an 11-year-old Mainoo was playing for Manchester United's youth team in a Murapol Cup clash against Polish side Akademia Pilkarska Wisły Krakow.
United would go on to claim a 5-1 victory, with Mainoo being named the Player of the Match for his performance.
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After someone praised United's number 10 for looking "quite skilful", the X user responded: "Kobbie Mainoo, very good player."
Here's how fans on social media reacted, almost eight years on.
One said: "Bro was 10-11 here. We are witnessing a crazy moment and people are sleeping on it," while a second wrote: "Destined to be a superstar."
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A third commented: "GET THIS PERSON AS OUR DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL IMMEDIATELY.'
A fourth added: "Oh my days he was a star from the start."
Speaking to England's official account after being handed a call-up, Mainoo admitted he learned about the call-up at St. George's Park.
"Yeah, it's a bit different," Mainoo said. "I got called up to the U21s and then got a text from Steve Holland [assistant manager].
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"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."
Featured Image Credit: Getty ImagesTopics: Manchester United, England, Kobbie Mainoo, Gareth Southgate, FA Cup, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka
