Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo featured from the start in England’s 1–0 win over New Zealand on Saturday, getting exactly 45 minutes to impress in the Three Lions’s first of two pre-World Cup friendlies.
For a while, it seemed Mainoo’s World Cup dreams were over as he spent months devoid of playing time under Ruben Amorim. But a sensational second half of the season for United under new boss Michael Carrick sufficed for the 21-year-old to earn a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-player roster.