With two caps under his belt and plenty of England fans vowing for more, the discussion remains as strong as ever whether the 19-year-old should be considered for a spot at Euro 2024.
WATCH | Why Why Kobbie Mainoo Has To START For England
Bellingham has sympathised with Mainoo in telling him he knows how hard it can be to have weight cast upon you from an early age.
“Kobbie Mainoo is very good," began the Real Madrid star speaking to Channel 4 on Tuesday evening.
“I know how hard it can be when there's a clamour and people put a lot of pressure on you… but he's definitely a brilliant player”.
“He’s going to have an amazing future at Man United and hopefully for England as well”.
Kobbie Mainoo in Premier League action for Manchester United. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Fellow Man Utd team-mate Harry Maguire also believes Mainoo's capabilities are something which cannot be understated.
"To play at a major tournament, obviously, it’s big to have experience but also the young boys do come in and sometimes they play with no fear and they can excel in that way," the centre-back said just last week.
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"I don’t have any concerns whatsoever. It’s incredible he’s [only] 18, he’s so mature. He’s a bit like Jude was when he was a young boy. He’s got a mature head on his shoulders. I had no concerns.
"I see day in, day out his ability in training. He just wants to work hard and do well. I congratulated him, said he deserved it, keep it up, and make sure he enjoys himself."
Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Another fellow Englishman and close friend at Carrington, Marcus Rashford, has also been extremely outspoken in his praise of Mainoo.
The Man Utd forward is another who knows exactly what is likely to be pushed into the limelight at a young age and also believes his fellow Red Devils academy graduate is also very mature in his thinking.
“I think for a player like him it’s not just what you tell him," Rashford told ManUtd.com recently.
“I think he’s very sure in his abilities and he’s going to play what he sees fit which is a huge skill set on its own so I think it’s about encouraging him to do that.
“He’s getting fed lots of messages – try this, do that – so not taking away his natural ability, natural instinct is probably the biggest thing we can do for him as players.
“It’s probably almost the opposite for me, I always tell him to play what he sees. I feel that’s his key strength as a player and what he does naturally very, very well.
“Don’t turn away from that and tell someone to do something, anything different to what he’s really good at.”
Bio: Matthew is a freelance journalist and has currently racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.
