What Harry Maguire told teammates about Kobbie Mainoo when he first joined Man United training

Harry Maguire has delivered big praise to his Manchester United teammate Kobbie Mainoo following the teenager’s call-up to the England senior squad.

Maguire, 31, has witnessed the incredible rise of Mainoo first-hand at Carrington. The teenager has made 21 appearances for The Reds this term, with 17 of those being starts.

Erik ten Hag has quickly entrusted the teenager in the heart of the midfield and his performances have been earning him praise from rivals, teammates and club legends alike.

The England central defender has been the latest to wax lyrical about his younger teammate, who has now joined him on international duty after a well-deserved call-up by Gareth Southgate.

Maguire recalled a conversation he had with United goalkeeper Tom Heaton about Mainoo when he first started training with Ten Hag’s first-team squad.

“I’ve been a massive fan of Kobbie’s since he first started training with us,” admitted Maguire.“I remember talking to Tom Heaton about him and I was saying, ‘I feel like this boy has got everything’.

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“He can handle the ball brilliantly. He’s really strong, powerful, and you can see his progression to play that No. 6 role, especially for United.

“The ‘six’ role is a huge responsibility, and I’m sure the positional part of his game will improve drastically.

“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.

“The club is always built on giving opportunities to youngsters, we have numerous of them training with us a lot, we try to make them feel welcome and we have done that to Kobbie.”