Kobbie Mainoo draws big positive from England’s loss vs Iceland, showing his maturity

Kobbie Mainoo has once again shown his fantastic maturity as he assesses England’s 1-0 loss against Iceland ahead of the 2024 European Championships.

On Friday night, England faced their final match before the 2024 European Championships, with Manchester United‘s Kobbie Mainoo playing the full 90 minutes.

However, the game at Wembley Stadium did not unfold as Gareth Southgate would have hoped. Iceland scored within the first 12 minutes, ultimately securing a 1-0 victory.

Read More: Declan Rice ‘reveals’ the role Kobbie Mainoo will have with England at EURO 2024

While the fixture was merely a practice match, some fans booed the England players following the defeat as they prepared to head to Germany next week.

Despite being just 19 years old and in his first season of professional football, Mainoo has started interacting with the press at both club and international levels. During an interview after the fixture, he once again demonstrated his fantastic maturity and level-headedness.

Asked by reporters if the defeat against Iceland had impacted the dressing room atmosphere, he replied: “Not at all!

“We know the quality we have in the changing room and now we just have to show the fans we’re good enough and we can compete in Germany. I think going into a tournament after a loss can be a good thing. We’ve got a point to prove now to ourselves, really, because we know we’re better than that and play a lot better football.

“It was humbling, and we have to come together now. We’ve got a chip on our shoulder and have to come together and have the motivation now to go into that first game and prove a point.

“I think so if we’re not winning, we’re learning. Any chance to learn is a good opportunity and better now than in nine days.”

At United, Mainoo has had to get very used to inconsistent results at Old Trafford. United have failed to grasp any consistency since his debut, although he has shone through alongside other talents like Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund.

All three youngsters will be embarking on international ventures this summer. Højlund will be at the European Championships with Denmark, while Garnacho will be with Argentina at Copa America.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss our on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.