Sometimes kids come along and you only need one look at them to realise they’ve got it – that special something where you know they belong at the highest level.
Kobbie Mainoo is one of those kids.
It was back in February, after he had scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester United, that I said he reminded me of legendary Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf.
When I said Kobbie gave me ‘Seedorf vibes’, I wasn’t talking about his ability, I just meant style-wise, in terms of his movement.
I spoke to Clarence about him here in Germany the other day and he said he definitely sees it too.
The thing about Kobbie, though, is he seems to get better every time you watch him play. As well as his movement, there’s his decision-making and the pace of his passing, plus the way he always seems to be in control and the way he handles everything that is thrown at him despite only being 19.
The best part of his game, though, is that he is prepared to wait. Let me try to explain what I mean.
Choosing the right moment
IMAGE SOURCE: PA
Image caption: Mainoo made his England debut when he came off the bench against Brazil in March
When you’re a young kid, playing at the level Kobbie is, you sometimes try to prove why you are there. I know from my own experience that you feel you always have to show what you can do, and you can end up trying too hard.
Kobbie’s not like that, though. He won’t try to push it and over-play.
I’ve watched him closely and the first 30% of passes of the ball he gets in a game, in those opening minutes, he is happy just playing the ball short, five or 10 yards, waiting for the right moment for his natural raw ability to come out.
Then, when the moment comes – and he knows exactly when – he can give you that little bit of ‘wow’ factor where he draws someone out, breaks the press or when the opposition think they are going to nick the ball off him. Those times when they have got him down a blind alley but he somehow just comes out the end anyway and you are left going ‘oh my god’.
What he is doing is a part of the game – and I heard Gareth Southgate say this too, by the way – that he makes look very easy, but is actually one of the most difficult things.
Ask any midfielder what it is like to receive the ball from your defence with your back to play, not knowing what is behind you and with people pressing you from behind from different angles, but being able to feel where they are and still get out.
Waiting for his chance
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES
Image caption: Mainoo started each of England’s three group games on the bench, and came on in two of them. He has started all three knockout games so far at Euro 2024
It took Gareth a little while to realise Kobbie is the right man to partner Declan Rice in England’s midfield.
First he tried Trent Alexander-Arnold at these Euros, then it was Conor Gallagher. But Gareth knows now, and so does everyone else. You cannot leave Kobbie out.
I said that straight away after I watched us beat Slovakia in the last 16, which was the first competitive international Kobbie had started.
I thought there was no way Gareth could have watched that game and thought ‘oh, we still need to experiment in midfield’. The kid showed he is the real deal, so that’s it. He has to play.
Kobbie’s age and lack of experience is almost irrelevant. He already plays way beyond his years. He knows he belongs at this level and it is like nothing fazes him at all.
On Sunday, he is going to be playing in a European Championship final as a teenager but there is no way the size of the occasion is going to intimidate him.
We saw that at the FA Cup final, not just with his man-of-the-match performance but also his celebration, or lack of it, after helping Manchester United beat Manchester City at Wembley. A lot of other players his age would be a bit over-exuberant maybe, but he is just so level-headed and calm.
Part of that is down to his background. I spent a bit of time with his family earlier in the tournament, and after the semi-final win over the Netherlands too.
They were enjoying themselves and having a good time, soaking it all up the same way I expect Kobbie is, but without going crazy or getting carried away. They are all really lovely, balanced, grounded, well-rounded people, which is why he is the same and appears to be unaffected by fame.
IMAGE SOURCE: PA
Image caption: Kobbie Mainoo celebrates with his family after England’s Euro 2024 semi-final win over the Netherlands
What can he do next?
Kobbie is already an incredible player. When this tournament is over, hopefully, he will have helped England become champions of Europe.
But whether we beat Spain in Sunday’s final or not, I hope he embraces this moment and enjoys it… but then starts thinking ‘what can I add now?’
You get some kids who arrive on the scene and make a huge splash but some of that success is down to them being a surprise. No-one knows who they are, but that only lasts so long when you are on the biggest stage.
Kobbie has had an amazing few months, from making his first Premier League start in November, to playing in such huge games for England at this tournament. But this is only the start for him, so how can he enhance his game?
That’s what all the very best players did, including Seedorf himself. He told me he taught himself how to have a left foot because he knew it would make a difference, something that meant he could go both ways and become more of a threat.
So can Kobbie open his game up so he can play more passes over 20 yards, so he can pick up the ball from the full-backs and ping them forward like Paul Scholes used to?
Are we going to see him get more shots off next season, or take a few more risks with his passes?
I am not saying that these are the things that he has to do, but I want to see him continue to develop.
There are elements Kobbie could add that could turn him from being a very good player to being one of the greats – that Seedorf level, basically. That’s what he should be aiming for.