England manager Gareth Southgate has explained why he changed his mind about calling up 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo.
The young midfielder was expected to be be with the U-21 side during the international break, but he has since been promoted to the senior side.
Mainoo could now make his senior debut when England take on Brazil at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
Read: Man Utd Star 'Dreaming' Of Real Madrid Move
"We've been blessed with St George's Park being built. Some of our Under-17s have come over to work with us this week. You get a club feel," Southgate began.
"With Kobbie, I said last week we were conscious about how quickly we should go.
"You need to make the right steps at the right time with players. For us he was the next player in. We didn't want to stop that from happening.
"He's fitted in brilliantly. His level of training has been excellent - we won't hesitate to put him on the pitch."
England star Harry Maguire also paid tribute to his club teammate after his breakout season with the Red Devils.
"You've seen the amount of ability and talent he has, and he fully deserves his call-up. A role and responsibility for the senior players at Manchester United is to bring through academy players.
"I didn't have any concerns about Kobbie.
"It's incredible he's only 18, he's so mature. He's a bit like Jude (Bellingham) when he was a young boy. He's got a mature head on his shoulders.
"I see day in, day out, his ability in training. I've congratulated him, he thoroughly deserves this. He has been excellent for us this season."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments
