Roy Keane agrees with Gary Neville about his Kobbie Mainoo admission for England

Roy Keane has agreed with Gary Neville regarding an admission the former Manchester United captain has made about Kobbie Mainoo and England.

England finished the 2024 European Championships group stage as winners of Group C with five points, though their performances left much to be desired.

Manchester United‘s rising star, Kobbie Mainoo, played only 52 minutes across the three games against Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia, while Luke Shaw did not feature at all due to injury.

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After winning their opening match 1-0 against Serbia, England followed up with a lackluster 1-1 draw against Denmark, and concluded the group stage with a dull 0-0 draw against Slovenia. Mainoo played in the second half of the draw with Slovenia, coming on at halftime, and Gareth Southgate’s side looked noticeably better once he was on the pitch.

Former club captain and Manchester United legend Gary Neville, speaking after the match, admitted that Mainoo must start in their next fixture, which will be a knockout tie.

“I’m certain Mainoo will start in the next game,” he said. “I think it was quite obvious we needed someone in there who would get us playing, and Mainoo does that.

“The midfield, it’s pretty obvious that in the first two games, we couldn’t get control of the ball in a way that’s going to help us through the tournament.

“Kobbie Mainoo has provided a far better solution in the second half of that game than the other options that have been used so far.”

Roy Keane, following on, agreed with his fellow Red, saying that Mainoo will force his way into the XI.

“I think Mainoo looked very comfortable out there,” he said. “By the end of this game, I think we would all be surprised if Mainoo doesn’t start the next game.

“When you throw a player in [from the bench]… the players ultimately pick the team. I always say with young players, they have no fear – just go with them sometimes.”

England’s opponents are yet to be confirmed, but they will play their round-of-16 knockout tie at 17:00 BST on Saturday, 30 June.

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