Kobbie Mainoo’s maturity compared to Jude Bellingham by Man United teammate

Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo’s level of maturity at such a young age has been compared to that of Jude Bellingham several years ago.

Mainoo, 18, emerged as an important player for United this season under Erik ten Hag. He has made 20 appearances so far this term, with 17 of those being starts.

His excellent form for his club recently earned him a call-up to the England national team. He could make his debut for The Three Lions on Saturday evening against Brazil.

Jude Bellingham made his first appearance for the country when he was just 17 – a year younger than Mainoo – following his move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2020.

The midfielder is now a crucial player for England and Real Madrid, which he joined last summer. While his ability on the pitch has always been praised, he has often been labelled as mature beyond his years. That has come across behind the scenes and in public interviews.

For Mainoo, it is a similar story. The teenager regularly receives praise for how well he speaks in front of the camera and his approach off the field.

“You’ve seen the amount of ability and talent he has, and he fully deserves his call-up,” said Man United defender Harry Maguire of his younger teammate for both club and country now.

“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 numbers of them training with us a lot, we try to make them feel welcome, and we have done to that Kobbie.

“I didn’t have any concerns over 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.”